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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. cap — a lid
  4. net — for catching
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. cap — of ice
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. pop — music
  10. board — a committee
  11. net — in sport
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. net — after costs
  14. march — the month
  15. vault — a safe
  16. march — the month
  17. pop — soda
  18. kick — in football
  19. march — music
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — to come from
  22. cap — a hat
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  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