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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. board — to get on
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. firm — a company
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. hand — help
  9. cell — a phone
  10. firm — steady
  11. cell — in biology
  12. hand — in cards
  13. board — a committee
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bound — certain
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. rock — music
  19. bound — obliged
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bound — tied together
  22. firm — decided
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. cabinet — ministers

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