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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. ball — a great time
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. last — to go on
  5. band — a ring
  6. board — a committee
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bound — obliged
  10. band — a music group
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. stock — goods
  14. last — final
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. last — finally
  19. ball — a dance
  20. rush — hurry
  21. stock — shares
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bound — tied together
  24. board — to get on

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