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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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Word bank
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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 · snap · field · rash · bound · pitch · mug

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. field — for sport
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. mug — a cup
  7. face — to point toward
  8. board — to get on
  9. face — to confront
  10. field — a subject
  11. snap — to click
  12. rash — a series
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mug — a face
  15. board — a committee
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. field — farmland
  19. bound — certain
  20. pitch — completely
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. rash — hasty

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