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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. object — to protest
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. object — an aim
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bound — tied together
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a ring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bound — certain
  12. fall — the season
  13. band — a music group
  14. bound — obliged
  15. board — a committee
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. cap — a lid
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. board — to get on
  21. fall — to drop
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. object — a thing

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