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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: bowl · cap · key · wound · toast · coach · current · bound

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bound — obliged
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. key — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bound — tied together
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cap — a lid
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. current — happening now
  16. bound — certain
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cap — of ice
  20. toast — bread
  21. wound — an injury
  22. current — electric
  23. cap — a hat
  24. current — of water

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