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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · mark · hand · leaves · mine · rule · chest · toast

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. mine — for digging
  6. rule — a law
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. game — wild animals
  10. hand — in cards
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. hand — help
  13. game — a match
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. mark — a grade
  17. chest — a box
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. toast — bread
  23. mark — a trace
  24. rule — government

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