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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: coach · board · sharp · mine · bound · fan · track · cold

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. track — a path
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — an illness
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. board — a committee
  14. track — a song
  15. board — to get on
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bound — tied together
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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