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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. rule — a law
  4. last — finally
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. content — happy
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. last — final
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bound — obliged
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rule — government
  13. content — the amount
  14. fine — all right
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bound — certain
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. fine — high quality
  22. last — to go on
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bound — tied together

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