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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. board — a committee
  3. bass — low music
  4. board — to get on
  5. vault — a safe
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. cell — in biology
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. root — of a word
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. squash — to crush
  19. cell — a phone
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. mine — for digging
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — the cause
  24. squash — the sport

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