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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. land — a country
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. board — a committee
  6. chip — for betting
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cold — an illness
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rest — what's left
  11. land — to come down
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bound — tied together
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. chip — to eat
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. board — to get on
  20. rest — a break
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cold — not warm
  24. land — ground

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