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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. rule — government
  3. court — for sport
  4. bound — certain
  5. band — a ring
  6. bound — tied together
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bound — obliged
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a word
  11. last — final
  12. last — to go on
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. root — of a plant
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. band — a music group
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. court — of a king
  19. last — finally
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. court — of law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. lie — to recline
  24. rule — a law

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