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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 116 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. rush — hurry
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cold — not warm
  6. field — a subject
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. cold — an illness
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. field — farmland
  16. fine — all right
  17. vault — a safe
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fine — high quality
  22. field — for sport
  23. board — to get on
  24. mine — an explosive

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