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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. march — music
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bear — the animal
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. fine — all right
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. wound — an injury
  16. march — the month
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. march — the month
  24. fine — high quality

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