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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. board — to get on
  7. swing — to play on
  8. board — a committee
  9. swing — in golf
  10. spell — a short time
  11. wound — an injury
  12. spell — magic
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a dance
  15. wound — an injury
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. ball — a great time
  20. chest — a box
  21. spell — letters
  22. chest — of your body
  23. vault — a safe
  24. swing — music

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