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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. last — final
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. last — finally
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cell — a phone
  11. perch — the fish
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rule — government
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. last — to go on
  21. rule — a law
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. perch — for a bird

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