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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · leaves · straw · mug · cold · chip · bound · mine

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. mate — a friend
  10. cold — an illness
  11. chip — to eat
  12. mug — a face
  13. bound — certain
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mine — for digging
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bound — obliged

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