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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: lie · staff · bat · rule · mate · firm · chip · bound

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bound — obliged
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bound — certain
  9. firm — decided
  10. rule — government
  11. staff — employees
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — to eat
  17. rule — a law
  18. firm — a company
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bound — tied together

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