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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: wake · rule · sharp · bound · stand · net · nail · cell

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bound — tied together
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. net — in sport
  8. bound — obliged
  9. rule — a law
  10. stand — to bear
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bound — certain
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. rule — government
  18. net — for catching
  19. cell — in biology
  20. net — after costs
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. wake — a trail
  23. cell — a phone
  24. nail — for a hammer

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