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

Word bank: vault · tube · pound · rule · clip · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. board — to get on
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. tube — the underground
  9. clip — for paper
  10. rule — a law
  11. clip — a video
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rule — government
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. tube — a container
  18. pound — to hit hard

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