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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: last · jam · board · hand · bound · temple

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — certain
  6. last — finally
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bound — obliged
  9. hand — help
  10. last — final
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. board — to get on
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. last — to go on

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