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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.

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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. band — a music group
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. row — to paddle
  7. charge — a price
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. charge — in control
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pass — a permit
  17. cold — an illness
  18. charge — electricity
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cold — not warm
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. row — a line

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