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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 116 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: cold · net · rule · firm · stand · bound · game · wake

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. net — after costs
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cold — not warm
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. game — wild animals
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rule — a law
  9. game — a match
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. net — for catching
  12. rule — government
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — tied together
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. firm — steady
  19. net — in sport
  20. firm — decided
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. firm — a company
  24. wake — a trail

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