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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. bound — certain
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. rule — government
  5. capital — a city
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. rule — a law
  9. roll — a cake
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bound — tied together
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. roll — a list
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bound — obliged
  23. capital — money
  24. leaves — of a tree

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