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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 120 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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cell — in biology
  5. mine — for digging
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — to be able to
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bound — tied together
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. rest — a break
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bound — obliged
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bound — certain

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