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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bound — certain
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. spell — magic
  6. cap — a lid
  7. object — to protest
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. staff — a stick
  12. cap — a hat
  13. last — final
  14. last — to go on
  15. staff — employees
  16. object — an aim
  17. bound — obliged
  18. last — finally
  19. bound — tied together
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a friend
  23. staff — employees
  24. cap — of ice

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