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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 116 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: bowl · lash · bound · board · can · hide · chair · nail

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — a tin
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. chair — a leader
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bound — obliged
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. can — to be able to
  13. bound — certain
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. board — to get on
  16. bound — tied together
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. board — a committee
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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