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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: rash · file · present · cell · lie · board · court · cabinet

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. court — for sport
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. court — of law
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. present — there
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. lie — to recline
  10. cell — in biology
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. file — a document
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. present — a gift
  15. file — a line of people
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. rash — a series
  18. cell — a phone
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. court — of a king
  22. rash — hasty
  23. file — a tool
  24. present — the time now

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