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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: stand · deal · board · arm · bound · wind · rule · track

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bound — obliged
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. track — a path
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rule — government
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — to handle
  10. wind — moving air
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. board — a committee
  13. stand — to bear
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bound — tied together
  17. board — to get on
  18. rule — a law
  19. bound — certain
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. track — a song
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. wind — moving air
  24. arm — a part of something

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