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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: saw · land · bound · fine · last · rock · cue · fan

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. land — a country
  3. bound — certain
  4. rock — music
  5. last — final
  6. bound — tied together
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. last — to go on
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. saw — the tool
  11. land — to come down
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. rock — a stone
  14. cue — a hint
  15. land — ground
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cue — a signal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. last — finally
  22. fine — high quality
  23. cue — for pool
  24. fine — all right

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