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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: last · bound · hand · deal · fine · rule · band · can

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. band — a music group
  3. can — a tin
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — all right
  6. bound — tied together
  7. rule — a law
  8. deal — to handle
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. can — a tin
  11. bound — certain
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. last — to go on
  14. hand — in cards
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. last — finally
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. band — a ring
  19. last — final
  20. hand — help
  21. rule — government
  22. bound — obliged
  23. can — to be able to
  24. rule — to rule out

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