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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: game · toast · can · rule · bound · sharp · bore · lash

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. can — to be able to
  4. toast — bread
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bore — to tire
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bound — certain
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. can — a tin
  14. bound — obliged
  15. sharp — clever
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. bore — to drill
  21. rule — government
  22. game — a match
  23. can — a tin
  24. game — wild animals

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