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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: object · stand · mate · clip · board · kid · ball · charge

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. board — a committee
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. mate — a partner
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. kid — to tease
  8. charge — in control
  9. charge — a price
  10. stand — to bear
  11. charge — electricity
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — to protest
  14. board — to get on
  15. clip — a video
  16. kid — child
  17. mate — to breed
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. ball — a dance
  20. clip — to cut
  21. object — a thing
  22. ball — a great time
  23. clip — for paper
  24. ball — a round shape

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