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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. tear — from crying
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. lean — to bend
  7. mate — to breed
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pop — music
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. pop — soda
  14. mate — a friend
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. pop — to visit
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. plane — a tool
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. leaves — to go away

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