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

Word bank: present · rule · cold · stand · leaves · bound · bat · ruler

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. stand — to bear
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. present — there
  9. cold — an illness
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. present — the time now
  15. rule — a law
  16. present — a gift
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. rule — government
  24. leaves — to go away

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