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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · bore · chip · bound · straw · stand · bulb · bat

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bound — certain
  3. chip — for betting
  4. rule — government
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bound — obliged
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. rule — a law
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bulb — for light
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bore — to drill
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bat — the animal
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. bore — gave birth

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