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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 120 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. kid — to tease
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. staff — employees
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. board — to get on
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. pop — soda
  9. land — to come down
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. vault — a safe
  13. staff — a stick
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. staff — employees
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pop — to visit
  19. land — a country
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. land — ground
  22. kid — child
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. board — a committee

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