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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pass — a permit
  4. season — in sport
  5. current — happening now
  6. last — to go on
  7. current — of water
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fall — to drop
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. current — electric
  12. bound — obliged
  13. fall — the season
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. bound — tied together
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. last — finally
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. season — of the year
  20. bound — certain
  21. fall — to drop
  22. last — final
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. wound — an injury

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