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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 124 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: object · shower · vault · kid · game · pitch · board · present

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. game — wild animals
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. present — there
  5. present — the time now
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. shower — rain
  8. object — to protest
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — child
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — a safe
  14. object — a thing
  15. shower — to wash
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. present — a gift
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. board — a committee
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. game — a match
  23. kid — to tease
  24. object — an aim

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