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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 120 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. object — a thing
  3. present — there
  4. present — the time now
  5. club — a group
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. object — to protest
  8. scale — size or range
  9. board — to get on
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bound — certain
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. scale — in music
  15. staff — a stick
  16. present — a gift
  17. staff — employees
  18. bound — obliged
  19. staff — employees
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. object — an aim
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bound — tied together
  24. club — for golf

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