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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.

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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. spring — of water
  4. game — a match
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — the animal
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. suit — in cards
  11. suit — to fit
  12. content — happy
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. spring — the season
  16. spell — a short time
  17. lie — to recline
  18. content — the amount
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — magic
  22. suit — clothes
  23. game — wild animals
  24. lie — an untruth

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