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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: board · content · lean · court · deal · vault · staff · charge

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. court — of a king
  3. vault — a safe
  4. charge — a price
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. court — for sport
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. charge — electricity
  10. lean — thin
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. staff — employees
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. charge — in control
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. board — a committee
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. court — of law
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — to handle
  23. lean — to bend
  24. content — happy

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