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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 · stand · fall · content · board · hand · bay · land

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. fall — to drop
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. fall — to drop
  6. hand — help
  7. fall — the season
  8. board — to get on
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. stand — to bear
  13. content — the amount
  14. land — a country
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. content — happy
  20. board — a committee
  21. land — to come down
  22. vault — a safe
  23. land — ground
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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