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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: chest · last · bank · rule · pop · bound · pass · bay

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. pop — music
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bank — of a river
  7. pop — soda
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. bank — for money
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. last — final
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — a law
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. chest — a box
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bound — certain
  22. bank — for money
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — tied together

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