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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. spell — letters
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. board — a committee
  9. rock — a stone
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. cold — an illness
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. rock — music
  16. vault — a safe
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. board — to get on
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — in a road
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — a short time

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