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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.

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: face · bowl · bound · content · row · board · ball · current

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. face — to confront
  3. board — a committee
  4. content — happy
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bound — tied together
  9. current — electric
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. board — to get on
  12. current — of water
  13. row — a line
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. content — the amount
  16. face — part of the head
  17. row — to paddle
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. current — happening now
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bound — certain
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bound — obliged
  24. ball — a dance

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