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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bound — obliged
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. season — in sport
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. chip — to eat
  10. wind — moving air
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. rule — government
  16. bound — certain
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rule — a law
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bound — tied together
  21. cell — in biology
  22. stem — to come from
  23. chip — for betting
  24. cell — a phone

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