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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. last — to go on
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. spring — of water
  5. stand — to bear
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. swing — in golf
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. last — final
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. squash — the sport
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. swing — to play on
  15. spring — a coil
  16. last — finally
  17. court — of a king
  18. squash — to crush
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. court — for sport
  21. swing — music
  22. spring — the season
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. court — of law

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