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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: hand · pit · arm · board · wound · pound · vault · bass

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. 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. pit — a hole
  2. pound — a weight
  3. hand — help
  4. board — to get on
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. vault — a safe
  7. hand — in cards
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bass — the fish
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pit — in a race
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — a committee
  17. wound — an injury
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bass — low music
  21. wound — an injury
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. 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