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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. vault — a safe
  3. chest — of your body
  4. kick — in football
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. chest — a box
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. snap — to click
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a path
  16. chest — of your body
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. snap — to snap out of it

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