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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: coach · bound · chest · cabinet · board · dip · rock · roll

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bound — certain
  3. roll — a cake
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. board — a committee
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — to sink
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. rock — music
  11. roll — a list
  12. board — to get on
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bound — tied together
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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