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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bound — tied together
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. staff — employees
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. board — to get on
  8. cap — of ice
  9. content — happy
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. root — the cause
  12. content — the amount
  13. cap — a hat
  14. staff — a stick
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. staff — employees
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cap — a lid
  23. vault — a safe
  24. root — of a word

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