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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 · roll · fine · board · bat · pop · row · coach

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bound — certain
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. roll — a list
  14. bound — obliged
  15. roll — a cake
  16. pop — soda
  17. fine — high quality
  18. row — a line
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. fine — all right
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. pop — music
  24. bound — tied together

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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