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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: sharp · bound · cold · race · rule · game · rock · mug

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. game — wild animals
  3. rock — a stone
  4. mug — a cup
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. race — humankind
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rule — government
  9. race — the arms race
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. game — a match
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rock — music
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. mug — to rob
  21. rule — a law
  22. mug — a face
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. race — a contest

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