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

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. content — the amount
  3. vault — a safe
  4. board — to get on
  5. staff — employees
  6. cap — a lid
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. content — happy
  9. staff — employees
  10. band — a music group
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. lean — to bend
  13. board — a committee
  14. lean — thin
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. cap — a hat
  18. saw — the tool
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. staff — a stick
  21. cap — of ice
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. saw — the tool
  24. lean — to rest against

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