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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. cold — an illness
  8. band — a ring
  9. vault — a safe
  10. cold — not warm
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — child
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. band — a music group
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. board — a committee
  24. ruler — for measuring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com