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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. rule — government
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. rule — a law
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. band — a ring
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bound — tied together
  17. mug — a face
  18. key — for a lock
  19. mug — to rob
  20. band — a music group
  21. bear — the animal
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — in music
  24. cell — in biology

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