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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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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 · deal · cold · cell · present · temple · object · staff

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. object — to protest
  3. deal — to handle
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cell — in biology
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. present — the time now
  11. board — a committee
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. staff — employees
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. present — there
  18. object — an aim
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. present — a gift
  21. object — a thing
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — an illness

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