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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. land — to come down
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. land — a country
  9. spring — of water
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bound — certain
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bound — obliged
  14. spring — the season
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. cold — an illness
  19. foot — a measure
  20. stand — to bear
  21. land — ground
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. spring — a coil
  24. cold — not warm

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