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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. rule — a law
  3. board — a committee
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rock — music
  6. swing — in golf
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. board — to get on
  13. rock — a stone
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. season — in sport
  16. wake — a trail
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. swing — music
  19. season — of the year
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. swing — to play on
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — government

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