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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bound — certain
  3. rule — government
  4. bound — obliged
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. fall — the season
  7. rest — what's left
  8. drill — army training
  9. ball — a dance
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rest — what's left
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rest — a break
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bound — tied together
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. fall — to drop
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. ball — a great time
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. rule — to rule out

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