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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. chair — a leader
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. board — to get on
  7. net — after costs
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — a thing
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. object — an aim
  12. net — for catching
  13. field — for sport
  14. club — for dancing
  15. field — a subject
  16. vault — a safe
  17. net — in sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for golf
  22. content — the amount
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. content — happy

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