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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 120 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. season — in sport
  4. bank — for money
  5. rule — government
  6. bound — tied together
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rule — a law
  10. bank — for money
  11. season — of the year
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bank — of a river
  20. squash — to crush
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bound — certain

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