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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — to fit
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rash — hasty
  6. net — in sport
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bound — obliged
  9. net — after costs
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. current — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bound — tied together
  19. net — for catching
  20. suit — clothes
  21. bound — certain
  22. current — happening now
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. rash — a series

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