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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. rule — a law
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mate — to breed
  5. band — a music group
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. band — a ring
  10. mate — a friend
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. degree — temperature
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mate — a partner
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. rule — government

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