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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: bound · board · kick · pop · straw · present · stand · fall

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. present — the time now
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. kick — in football
  5. bound — obliged
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. pop — music
  8. fall — the season
  9. pop — to visit
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — to bear
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bound — certain
  14. fall — to drop
  15. present — a gift
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — a committee
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. present — there
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bound — tied together
  23. board — to get on
  24. fall — to drop

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