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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mine — for digging
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. rule — government
  5. bound — tied together
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bound — certain
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. pop — to visit
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bound — obliged
  14. charge — electricity
  15. rule — a law
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — rain
  18. charge — in control
  19. pop — soda
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pop — music
  22. charge — a price
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mate — a partner

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