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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 116 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: deal · bound · bowl · rush · rule · cell · club · wound

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. club — a group
  3. rule — government
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rule — a law
  6. club — for dancing
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bound — certain
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bound — tied together
  16. deal — to handle
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. club — for golf
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. cell — in biology

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