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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: arm · content · board · staff · lean · bat · ball · roll

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  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. staff — a stick
  2. ball — a dance
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bat — the animal
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — a cake
  10. content — the amount
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. content — happy
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. board — a committee
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to bend
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. arm — part of the body
  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