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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: chip · hide · wind · bat · board · vault · cell · bulb

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. wind — moving air
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. board — a committee
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. vault — a safe
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. board — to get on
  24. chip — to eat

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