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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. fine — high quality
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. kid — to tease
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pit — in a race
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. spring — of water
  11. spell — letters
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. fine — all right
  14. kid — child
  15. scale — in music
  16. spell — magic
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. pit — a hole
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. spring — the season
  24. leaves — lets stay

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