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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rash — a series
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. face — to confront
  9. shower — rain
  10. face — to point toward
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. club — a group
  13. face — part of the head
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. rule — government
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. rule — a law
  21. mine — for digging
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — for dancing
  24. rash — hasty

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