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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: board · present · bulb · swing · ground · cap · cell · vault

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. present — the time now
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — a committee
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cell — a phone
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bulb — for light
  11. ground — a position
  12. present — there
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. swing — music
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — the earth
  19. present — a gift
  20. cap — a lid
  21. swing — to play on
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. vault — a safe
  24. swing — in golf

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