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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. file — a tool
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bound — obliged
  5. last — final
  6. firm — a company
  7. bound — tied together
  8. firm — steady
  9. last — to go on
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. file — a document
  12. hand — in cards
  13. last — finally
  14. mate — a friend
  15. firm — decided
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. hand — help
  19. mate — to breed
  20. cap — a lid
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bound — certain
  23. mate — a partner
  24. cap — a hat

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