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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.

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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 · lie · pop · cold · bound · charge · season · mine

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bound — certain
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. pop — music
  7. charge — a price
  8. season — in sport
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. lie — to recline
  11. charge — electricity
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — soda
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. charge — in control
  17. bound — obliged
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bound — tied together
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mine — for digging

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