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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: board · game · pass · content · hide · sharp · bound · scale

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bound — obliged
  9. scale — in music
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. board — to get on
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — happy
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bound — tied together
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. board — a committee
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bound — certain

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