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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bound — certain
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. hand — help
  7. spell — letters
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. board — to get on
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rush — hurry
  13. vault — a safe
  14. board — a committee
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bore — to drill
  18. spell — magic
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. spell — a short time
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — tied together
  24. rush — a thrill

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