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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: chest · mine · bound · rock · nail · game · board · present

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. board — a committee
  4. rock — a stone
  5. bound — tied together
  6. chest — of your body
  7. game — wild animals
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — the time now
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. chest — a box
  14. present — there
  15. bound — obliged
  16. rock — music
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bound — certain
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. mine — for digging
  24. game — a match

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