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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. wound — an injury
  3. object — a thing
  4. present — the time now
  5. ball — a dance
  6. chair — a leader
  7. present — a gift
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. present — there
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. club — for golf
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. object — to protest
  14. ball — a great time
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. hand — help
  17. object — an aim
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wound — an injury
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. hand — in cards
  24. club — a group

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