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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. ball — a great time
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — a stone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bound — certain
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cap — of ice
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bound — obliged
  13. rock — music
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. cap — a hat
  17. mark — a grade
  18. ball — a dance
  19. board — to get on
  20. cap — a lid
  21. hand — in cards
  22. cell — in biology
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. board — a committee

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