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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: bound · charge · rash · hide · game · bat · content · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bound — obliged
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. content — happy
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bound — certain
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. charge — in control
  10. bound — tied together
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bat — the animal
  13. charge — a price
  14. game — wild animals
  15. charge — electricity
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — the amount
  18. rash — hasty
  19. board — a committee
  20. rash — a series
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. game — a match
  24. bat — for baseball

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