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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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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: court · hand · file · board · stick · plane · chest · vault

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. file — a tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. hand — help
  4. chest — of your body
  5. court — for sport
  6. hand — in cards
  7. vault — a safe
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. file — a line of people
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. court — of a king
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. board — a committee
  18. court — of law
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — to get on
  21. plane — a tool
  22. chest — a box
  23. file — a document
  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