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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 120 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: vault · wind · arm · bore · content · board · file · game

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. wind — moving air
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. game — a match
  5. file — a document
  6. bore — to drill
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. content — the amount
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. content — happy
  14. wind — moving air
  15. board — a committee
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bore — to tire
  18. vault — a safe
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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