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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — obliged
  4. board — a committee
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. march — the month
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bound — tied together
  15. march — music
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. march — the month

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