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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: cabinet · board · wind · vault · clip · ground · pass · chair

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. board — to get on
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pass — a permit
  5. vault — a safe
  6. ground — crushed
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. wind — moving air
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. clip — a video
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. clip — for paper
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ground — the earth
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. board — a committee
  17. chair — a leader
  18. clip — to cut
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. ground — a position

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