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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. kick — in football
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. fork — in a road
  9. capital — a city
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. season — of the year
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. capital — money
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. ball — a dance
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. capital — a big letter

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