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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: stick · coach · wake · mug · bound · board · pit · kid

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. board — a committee
  4. mug — to rob
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — to tease
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pit — in a race
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. pit — a hole
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bound — obliged
  14. mug — a face
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mug — a cup
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. board — to get on
  20. bound — tied together
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bound — certain
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. kid — child

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