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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 120 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: bass · cap · cell · game · ruler · rest · root · bound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rest — what's left
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rest — what's left
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. cap — of ice
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bass — low music
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bass — the fish
  18. game — a match
  19. root — of a word
  20. bound — tied together
  21. root — the cause
  22. cell — in biology
  23. root — of a plant
  24. rest — a break

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