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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: bound · band · last · rule · drill · mug · deal · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. drill — a practice
  3. deal — to handle
  4. band — a ring
  5. mug — a cup
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bound — tied together
  10. last — to go on
  11. mug — a face
  12. rule — government
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cell — in biology
  15. band — a music group
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. last — final
  19. rule — a law
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bound — certain
  24. last — finally

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