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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. object — a thing
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. season — in sport
  6. object — an aim
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. deal — to handle
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. present — there
  12. rule — a law
  13. season — of the year
  14. rule — government
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. object — to protest
  17. march — music
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. march — the month
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. present — a gift
  23. march — the month
  24. present — the time now

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