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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bound — obliged
  4. kid — to tease
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. ground — the earth
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. ground — a position
  10. bound — tied together
  11. kid — child
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. game — a match
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. tube — a container
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bound — certain
  24. game — wild animals

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