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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: staff · chip · scale · degree · saw · game · bound · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. saw — the tool
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. staff — employees
  8. degree — an amount
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bound — obliged
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bound — tied together
  13. saw — the tool
  14. scale — in music
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bound — certain
  17. chip — for betting
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. degree — temperature
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. game — wild animals

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