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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: vault · board · pound · chest · bound · kick

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pound — a weight
  6. kick — in football
  7. board — a committee
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. chest — of your body
  12. vault — a safe
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bound — certain
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. kick — with a leg

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