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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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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 · hand · capital · drill · suit · bound · last · snap

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bound — certain
  3. capital — money
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bound — obliged
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. last — to go on
  8. drill — the tool
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. board — a committee
  12. suit — in cards
  13. last — final
  14. drill — a practice
  15. last — finally
  16. suit — clothes
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. hand — help
  19. board — to get on
  20. bound — tied together
  21. capital — a city
  22. hand — in cards
  23. drill — army training
  24. snap — to click

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