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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: bat · cell · ground · leaves · tear · cap · board · vault

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. tear — from crying
  5. board — to get on
  6. ground — crushed
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. cell — in biology
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cap — a lid
  14. tear — to rip
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. ground — a position
  19. board — a committee
  20. cap — of ice
  21. vault — a safe
  22. bat — the animal
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. board — a flat piece

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