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

Word bank: ground · bowl · sharp · shower · swing · board · rule · vault

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. ground — the earth
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — to get on
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. shower — rain
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. swing — in golf
  15. ground — crushed
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. rule — government
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. vault — a safe
  22. rule — a law
  23. ground — a position
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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