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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: hide · squash · chair · file · board · chest · vault · pass

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. squash — the sport
  3. board — to get on
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — a permit
  7. board — a committee
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. vault — a safe
  10. chest — of your body
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. chair — a leader
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. chest — a box
  17. file — a line of people
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. file — a tool
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. file — a document
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pass — to succeed

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