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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. mine — for digging
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. game — wild animals
  6. deal — to handle
  7. vault — a safe
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a song
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. track — a path
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. game — a match
  18. content — the amount
  19. board — to get on
  20. content — happy
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. lie — to recline
  24. mine — belonging to me

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