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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: bound · pass · chest · bear · game · rule · cabinet · band

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. chest — a box
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. band — a ring
  7. pass — a permit
  8. game — a match
  9. rule — government
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bound — obliged
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a music group
  18. rule — a law
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. cabinet — ministers

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