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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: bound · bat · bank · foot · ruler · cap · squash · rest

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — tied together
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bank — for money
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — a lid
  11. squash — the sport
  12. cap — of ice
  13. rest — a break
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bank — for money
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. rest — what's left
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bound — certain

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