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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: straw · arm · rule · pop · mate · bound · leaves · board

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. rule — a law
  3. pop — soda
  4. bound — certain
  5. mate — a friend
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. mate — a partner
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bound — obliged
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. board — to get on
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mate — to breed
  20. rule — government
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pop — to visit
  24. board — a committee

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