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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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Word bank
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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: bat · pitcher · wax · kick · vault · chair · craft · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a committee
  3. kick — in football
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wax — to grow
  7. vault — a safe
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. craft — a skill
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. chair — a leader
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. craft — boats
  24. bat — for baseball

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