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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 116 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  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. season — of the year
  2. bound — certain
  3. rest — what's left
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bound — obliged
  7. rule — government
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rest — a break
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rest — what's left
  14. tube — a container
  15. season — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. rule — a law
  21. file — a tool
  22. fall — to drop
  23. tube — in a tire
  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