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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. land — a country
  5. club — a group
  6. season — in sport
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. club — for golf
  9. season — of the year
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. land — to come down
  13. pit — in a race
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. land — ground
  17. club — for dancing
  18. pit — a fruit stone

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