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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: cap · rule · march · wound · mate · foot · stick · bound

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bound — certain
  3. march — music
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cap — a lid
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. mate — to breed
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mate — a partner
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — government
  16. march — the month
  17. cap — a hat
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. march — the month
  21. mate — a friend
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. cap — of ice

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