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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. sharp — clever
  4. capital — money
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. chip — for betting
  7. foot — a measure
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bass — low music
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. row — to paddle
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. chip — to eat
  16. capital — a city
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. row — a line
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bass — the fish
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. chip — in a computer

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