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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bat — the animal
  3. wound — an injury
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bound — tied together
  7. chest — a box
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. charge — a price
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. charge — in control
  12. wound — an injury
  13. chest — of your body
  14. key — in music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. board — a committee
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bound — obliged
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. chest — of your body
  22. board — to get on
  23. bound — certain
  24. charge — electricity

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