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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. land — to come down
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. rest — a break
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rest — what's left
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. cue — a hint
  11. tube — the underground
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bat — the animal
  14. land — a country
  15. cue — a signal
  16. shower — rain
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — boats
  19. rest — what's left
  20. land — ground
  21. shower — to wash
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. leaves — of a tree

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