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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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Word bank
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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: chest · game · spell · board · plane · cell · vault · stick

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. plane — a tool
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. spell — a short time
  10. board — a committee
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cell — a phone
  14. chest — of your body
  15. game — wild animals
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. game — a match
  18. vault — a safe
  19. cell — in biology
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. chest — a box
  22. spell — magic
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. chest — of your body

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