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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: hide · club · fine · cell · rash · game · bore · bound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bore — to tire
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. club — for golf
  8. fine — high quality
  9. rash — hasty
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bound — obliged
  14. club — for dancing
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bound — tied together
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. club — a group
  20. bore — to drill
  21. game — a match
  22. cell — in biology
  23. rash — a series
  24. fine — all right

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