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

Word bank: clip · game · sharp · rule · lie · board · object · club

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. object — to protest
  5. club — for golf
  6. object — a thing
  7. game — a match
  8. club — for dancing
  9. game — wild animals
  10. lie — to recline
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. object — an aim
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rule — a law
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rule — government
  23. club — a group
  24. board — to get on

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