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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. can — a tin
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rule — a law
  8. rest — a break
  9. bound — certain
  10. can — a tin
  11. file — a tool
  12. band — a music group
  13. file — a line of people
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. can — to be able to
  16. sharp — clever
  17. file — a document
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. rule — government
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rest — what's left

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