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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. bound — tied together
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. drill — a practice
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. cell — a phone
  12. drill — the tool
  13. chair — a leader
  14. squash — the sport
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bound — certain
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. wake — a trail
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. drill — army training
  24. squash — to crush

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