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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — tied together
  3. deal — to handle
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. board — to get on
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. board — a committee
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. shower — rain
  15. net — after costs
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bound — certain
  19. wind — moving air
  20. band — a music group
  21. shower — to wash
  22. band — a ring
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — an agreement

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