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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: board · pitcher · bound · current · mark · bat · rock · land

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. land — to come down
  3. current — of water
  4. current — happening now
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — a stone
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. land — ground
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bound — tied together
  15. current — electric
  16. land — a country
  17. board — to get on
  18. rock — music
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bound — certain
  24. mark — a trace

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