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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. cap — of ice
  3. staff — employees
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. staff — employees
  8. rule — a law
  9. cap — a hat
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rule — government
  12. spring — the season
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. club — a group
  16. bound — obliged
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bound — certain
  19. staff — a stick
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spring — of water
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bound — tied together
  24. rule — to rule out

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