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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pop — to visit
  4. rule — a law
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. fall — to drop
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. row — a line
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pop — music
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. board — a committee
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rule — government
  16. pop — soda
  17. board — to get on
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. fall — the season
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. wound — an injury
  24. row — to paddle

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