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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. saw — the tool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bass — low music
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. court — for sport
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bass — the fish
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. court — of law
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. race — the arms race
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. board — to get on
  18. vault — a safe
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. court — of a king
  21. race — humankind
  22. saw — the tool
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. race — a contest

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