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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 116 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. swing — to play on
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bound — tied together
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. sharp — clever
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. tube — a container
  10. charge — in control
  11. swing — in golf
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — not warm
  14. charge — a price
  15. cold — an illness
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bound — certain
  18. tube — the underground
  19. charge — electricity
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. hand — help
  22. bound — obliged
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. swing — music

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