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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 124 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. staff — a stick
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bound — certain
  5. present — a gift
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — all right
  9. present — the time now
  10. ground — crushed
  11. file — a line of people
  12. present — there
  13. ground — a position
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bound — tied together
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. staff — employees
  19. file — a document
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. file — a tool
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. ground — the earth
  24. staff — employees

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