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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. rule — a law
  5. fork — in a road
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — to visit
  8. chip — to eat
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bound — tied together
  12. race — a contest
  13. bank — for money
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pop — soda
  18. chip — for betting
  19. rule — government
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — humankind
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — of a river

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