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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 · board · charge · degree · bound · firm · sharp · track

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. charge — a price
  3. staff — a stick
  4. track — a song
  5. staff — employees
  6. bound — tied together
  7. charge — in control
  8. firm — a company
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — to get on
  11. track — a path
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — an amount
  14. sharp — clever
  15. staff — employees
  16. bound — certain
  17. degree — temperature
  18. track — to keep track
  19. charge — electricity
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bound — obliged
  23. firm — steady
  24. board — a committee

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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