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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. land — to come down
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. board — a committee
  8. bass — low music
  9. net — for catching
  10. land — ground
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. land — a country
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. net — after costs
  18. bore — to drill
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. board — to get on
  21. bore — to tire
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. net — in sport
  24. vault — a safe

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