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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. swing — music
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. ball — a great time
  6. swing — in golf
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. board — a committee
  10. swing — to play on
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. content — happy
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bark — to shout
  17. content — the amount
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — a safe
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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