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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. staff — a stick
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rule — a law
  5. face — to point toward
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. chest — a box
  10. face — part of the head
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. drill — army training
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — government
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — an amount
  17. chest — of your body
  18. staff — employees
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. staff — employees
  21. chest — of your body
  22. degree — temperature
  23. face — to confront
  24. drill — a practice

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