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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. tube — the underground
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. last — to go on
  5. bound — tied together
  6. tube — a container
  7. drill — a practice
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wake — a trail
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. club — for golf
  15. last — finally
  16. club — for dancing
  17. drill — army training
  18. club — a group
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. last — final
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bound — certain
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bound — obliged

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