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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: drill · plane · wind · board · race · coach · present · vault

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. board — a committee
  3. present — there
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. drill — army training
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. race — a contest
  10. drill — the tool
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. vault — a safe
  14. board — to get on
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. present — the time now
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — a tool
  19. wind — moving air
  20. present — a gift
  21. drill — a practice
  22. race — humankind
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. race — the arms race

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