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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — a law
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. rule — government
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. game — a match
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. track — to keep track
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. pound — a weight
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. track — a path
  18. game — wild animals
  19. track — a song
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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