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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: pop · squash · spell · nail · court · board · bound · craft

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. spell — letters
  3. bound — certain
  4. court — of a king
  5. bound — tied together
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the sport
  8. craft — boats
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. spell — magic
  13. pop — to visit
  14. board — a committee
  15. court — of law
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. spell — a short time
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. board — to get on
  22. court — for sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. board — a flat piece

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