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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bass — the fish
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. key — the most important part
  7. prune — to trim
  8. snap — to click
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bass — low music
  15. vault — a safe
  16. board — a committee
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. key — in music
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. board — to get on

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