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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: bat · firm · pass · rule · object · bound · wound · staff

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. firm — decided
  3. staff — employees
  4. wound — an injury
  5. object — a thing
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. firm — steady
  9. firm — a company
  10. object — to protest
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rule — a law
  14. staff — employees
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bound — obliged
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pass — a permit
  21. object — an aim
  22. staff — a stick
  23. rule — government
  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