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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · straw · bound · ball · board · stick · chest · object

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. board — a committee
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. chest — of your body
  6. object — to protest
  7. bound — certain
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. object — an aim
  10. bound — obliged
  11. board — to get on
  12. object — a thing
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. ball — a dance
  16. game — a match
  17. bound — tied together
  18. game — wild animals
  19. chest — of your body
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. ball — a great time
  23. chest — a box
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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