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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. vault — a safe
  5. game — wild animals
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. branch — a division
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a document
  11. board — to get on
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. board — a committee
  14. court — of law
  15. plane — a tool
  16. court — for sport
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. court — of a king
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. game — a match
  23. file — a line of people
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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