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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. file — a line of people
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. kid — child
  5. capital — money
  6. file — a document
  7. rest — a break
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — music
  10. rule — government
  11. last — finally
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rest — what's left
  15. capital — a city
  16. pop — soda
  17. file — a tool
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — to tease
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. rule — a law
  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