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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. field — farmland
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. key — in music
  7. vault — a safe
  8. band — a ring
  9. field — for sport
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. chair — a leader
  12. squash — to crush
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a committee
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. field — a subject
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. key — for a lock
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. key — the most important part
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. band — a music group

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