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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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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: stock · kid · straw · rest · present · nail · bound · rule

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. rest — what's left
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. rest — a break
  6. present — there
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stock — goods
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. kid — child
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — a gift
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bound — tied together
  17. kid — to tease
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bound — obliged
  20. stock — shares
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. straw — a straw man

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