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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. rule — government
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. band — a music group
  5. bound — obliged
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. snap — to click
  11. lean — thin
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. band — a ring
  15. chair — a leader
  16. pound — a weight
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bound — certain
  20. rule — a law
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. straw — a straw man

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