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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 · mine · fork · ball · arm · bound · bat · dip

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. ball — a dance
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bound — certain
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — obliged
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. board — a committee
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. dip — to sink
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. board — to get on
  22. fork — in a road
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. ball — a great time

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