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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — a committee
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. mine — for digging
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to confront
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. chair — a leader
  13. board — to get on
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bass — low music
  17. face — to point toward
  18. snap — to click
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. chair — to sit 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