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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. wound — an injury
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bound — tied together
  6. can — a tin
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. spring — the season
  9. wound — an injury
  10. spring — a coil
  11. capital — money
  12. board — to get on
  13. spring — of water
  14. board — a committee
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bound — certain
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. capital — a city
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. can — to be able to
  22. bound — obliged
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. can — a tin

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