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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a committee
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bound — certain
  6. drill — army training
  7. bound — tied together
  8. stock — goods
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. cold — an illness
  11. drill — a practice
  12. staff — employees
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cold — not warm
  16. stock — shares
  17. staff — a stick
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. staff — employees
  21. drill — the tool
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. cold — the Cold War

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