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

Word bank: board · face · bound · bear · race · track

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — certain
  4. board — to get on
  5. race — a contest
  6. bear — the animal
  7. track — to keep track
  8. face — to confront
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. race — humankind
  11. bound — obliged
  12. track — a song
  13. track — a path
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bear — the animal
  16. race — the arms race
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. face — part of the head

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