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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bound — tied together
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bound — certain
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. shower — to wash
  9. cold — not warm
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. shower — rain
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bound — obliged
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. lean — thin
  19. cold — an illness
  20. lean — to bend
  21. rest — what's left
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. temple — a place of worship

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