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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: content · sharp · hand · fine · file · pitch · board · vault

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. file — a line of people
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. fine — high quality
  5. sharp — clever
  6. hand — in cards
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — a committee
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. vault — a safe
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. content — happy
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. pitch — completely
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. fine — all right
  19. file — a document
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. hand — help
  23. file — a tool
  24. content — the amount

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