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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — happy
  5. cue — a signal
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. board — a committee
  8. lie — to recline
  9. file — a tool
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. net — for catching
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. kick — in football
  16. sharp — clever
  17. net — after costs
  18. cue — a hint
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cue — for pool
  21. file — a document
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. net — in sport
  24. board — to get on

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