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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: ruler · rest · bound · clip · game · cell · jam · deal

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. rest — a break
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rest — what's left
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. game — a match
  8. cell — a phone
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. game — wild animals
  18. clip — to cut
  19. rest — what's left
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. deal — to handle
  24. clip — a video

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