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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bound — obliged
  4. fine — high quality
  5. field — for sport
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. file — a document
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. mate — a partner
  11. field — farmland
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bound — certain
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. field — a subject
  18. mate — to breed
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. file — a tool
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bound — tied together

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