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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. file — a tool
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. key — in music
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. rule — a law
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bat — the animal
  12. rush — hurry
  13. board — a committee
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. rule — government
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wake — a trail
  20. board — to get on
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bat — in an idiom

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