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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. last — final
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — a law
  6. bound — tied together
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for golf
  11. bound — obliged
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. last — finally
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. last — to go on
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. foot — a measure
  22. club — for dancing
  23. rule — government
  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