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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bound — obliged
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. vault — a safe
  6. face — to confront
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. rash — a series
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bound — tied together
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — in music
  13. face — part of the head
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bound — certain
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. stock — shares
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stock — goods
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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