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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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. leaves — of a tree
  2. swing — music
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. date — the fruit
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to drill
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. can — a tin
  16. kick — in football
  17. can — a tin
  18. bore — to tire
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — to play on
  21. sharp — clever
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. can — to be able to
  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