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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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 — to go away
  2. fine — all right
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bound — certain
  8. last — final
  9. drill — the tool
  10. last — to go on
  11. drill — army training
  12. last — finally
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rule — government
  20. drill — a practice
  21. fine — high quality
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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