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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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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: board · face · arm · racket · vault · cold · swing · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. face — part of the head
  4. swing — music
  5. face — to point toward
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fall — to drop
  9. swing — to play on
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. cold — not warm
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. cold — an illness
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — to get on
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fall — to drop
  20. vault — a safe
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. face — to confront
  24. swing — in golf

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