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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. board — to get on
  4. face — to point toward
  5. rest — a break
  6. ball — a great time
  7. face — part of the head
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. land — a country
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — tied together
  13. land — ground
  14. file — a document
  15. face — to confront
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bound — certain
  19. land — to come down
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. ball — a dance
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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