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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. board — a committee
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — temperature
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bound — obliged
  11. spring — of water
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. spring — the season
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. board — to get on
  16. bound — tied together
  17. degree — an amount
  18. 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