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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. season — of the year
  4. bound — certain
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bound — obliged
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. deal — to handle
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. fine — all right
  12. season — in sport
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. wind — moving air
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bound — tied together
  22. file — a tool
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. wind — moving air

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