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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. lean — thin
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. mate — to breed
  7. object — a thing
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bound — tied together
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bark — to shout
  12. fine — all right
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bound — obliged
  15. fine — high quality
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bound — certain
  18. object — an aim
  19. lean — to bend
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. object — to protest
  24. mate — a friend

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