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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: chip · hide · wind · bat · board · vault

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. board — a committee
  3. wind — moving air
  4. chip — for betting
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bat — the animal
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. board — to get on
  12. vault — a safe
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. chip — in a computer

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