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

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bank — for money
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. board — a committee
  7. roll — a list
  8. board — to get on
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ground — the earth
  11. cold — an illness
  12. roll — a cake
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bank — of a river
  16. mate — a friend
  17. ground — crushed
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. ground — a position
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bank — for money
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — to breed

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