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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · pass · stick · cold · game · bound · row · net

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bound — tied together
  5. rash — a series
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. net — in sport
  8. pass — a permit
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bound — certain
  11. game — wild animals
  12. cold — an illness
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. net — for catching
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. row — a line
  20. net — after costs
  21. row — to paddle
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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