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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cold — an illness
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. fine — high quality
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — to protest
  9. land — to come down
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. land — ground
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. object — a thing
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. rule — government
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bound — certain
  22. cold — not warm
  23. land — a country
  24. bound — tied together

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