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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pass — a permit
  4. spell — magic
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. spell — a short time
  7. field — for sport
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. chair — a leader
  13. spell — letters
  14. field — a subject
  15. tear — to rip
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. field — farmland
  18. tear — from crying

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