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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 · mate · board · spell · content · mug · hand · bowl

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. spell — magic
  4. content — happy
  5. spell — a short time
  6. mate — a partner
  7. content — the amount
  8. bound — obliged
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — a face
  11. spell — letters
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bound — tied together
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — a committee
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bound — certain
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — help

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