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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fall — to drop
  4. charge — electricity
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bore — to drill
  7. band — a music group
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bound — tied together
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. charge — in control
  13. fall — the season
  14. charge — a price
  15. band — a ring
  16. staff — employees
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bound — certain
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. game — wild animals
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bore — gave birth

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