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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 120 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. current — of water
  4. mate — a friend
  5. scale — size or range
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bound — certain
  8. spell — letters
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. current — electric
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. scale — in music
  15. spell — magic
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mate — a partner
  19. current — happening now
  20. bound — tied together
  21. mate — to breed
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. spell — a short time

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