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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: sharp · race · board · row · straw · cell · bound · deal

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. race — a contest
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. sharp — clever
  8. row — to paddle
  9. cell — a phone
  10. board — to get on
  11. bound — certain
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. deal — to handle
  16. board — a committee
  17. cell — in biology
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. row — a line
  22. bound — tied together
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. deal — a big deal

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