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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. rush — hurry
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — magic
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — a tool
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bay — a horse colour

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