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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: charge · stand · mate · bound · stock · wound · net · rule

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. stock — shares
  3. charge — in control
  4. stand — to bear
  5. net — for catching
  6. charge — electricity
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. charge — a price
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mate — a friend
  13. net — after costs
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rule — government
  16. mate — a partner
  17. wound — an injury
  18. net — in sport
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — goods
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bound — certain

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