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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. court — of a king
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. file — a tool
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. rule — government
  8. can — to be able to
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. rule — a law
  12. rush — hurry
  13. can — a tin
  14. court — for sport
  15. sharp — clever
  16. court — of law
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. file — a line of people
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. file — a document
  24. can — a tin

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