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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  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. leaves — lets stay
  2. can — a tin
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. rule — government
  5. season — of the year
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. root — of a plant
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. can — a tin
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. stand — to bear
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — to handle
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. clip — for paper
  17. root — of a word
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. can — to be able to
  20. season — in sport
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. root — the cause
  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