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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · lash · lie · mine · board · deal · cold · coach

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. board — a committee
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. board — to get on
  8. mine — for digging
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. deal — to handle
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bound — tied together
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bound — certain
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lie — to recline

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