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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: cell · present · club · vault · board · fall · game · wake

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. present — a gift
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. club — for dancing
  7. fall — the season
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. club — for golf
  10. game — a match
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. cell — a phone
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. present — there
  15. fall — to drop
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — a safe
  18. game — wild animals
  19. board — to get on
  20. cell — in biology
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wake — a trail
  23. club — a group
  24. board — a committee

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