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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bound — obliged
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rule — a law
  6. game — wild animals
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. tear — from crying
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rule — government
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — a skill
  13. net — after costs
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. craft — boats
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. net — in sport
  19. game — a match
  20. net — for catching
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. leaves — to go away

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