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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: face · board · craft · bound · bat · coach · capital · pop

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pop — music
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bound — certain
  8. capital — a city
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bound — obliged
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. board — a committee
  17. face — to point toward
  18. pop — soda
  19. capital — money
  20. board — to get on
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — part of the head
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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