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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rash — a series
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. board — to get on
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. board — a committee
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fork — in a road
  24. kick — in football

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