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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. last — final
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — a safe
  7. hand — in cards
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. last — to go on
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a hint
  15. last — finally
  16. wind — moving air
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. cue — a signal
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. bulb — for light
  22. board — to get on
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. board — a committee

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