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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 124 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — a lid
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. rest — a break
  8. cap — of ice
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bound — certain
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. rest — what's left
  14. file — a tool
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. bound — tied together
  22. file — a document
  23. rest — what's left
  24. lie — an untruth

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