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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bound — certain
  4. rule — government
  5. bank — of a river
  6. chest — a box
  7. bank — for money
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. bound — tied together
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mate — to breed
  15. season — of the year
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mate — a friend
  18. chest — of your body
  19. drill — a practice
  20. rule — a law
  21. season — in sport
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bank — for money
  24. bound — obliged

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