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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: jam · capital · content · snap · board · bound · net · nail

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. content — happy
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. content — the amount
  7. snap — to click
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. net — after costs
  13. capital — a city
  14. bound — tied together
  15. board — to get on
  16. bound — certain
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. capital — money
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. bound — obliged
  23. net — for catching
  24. nail — on a finger

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