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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. cue — a signal
  3. season — in sport
  4. sharp — clever
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. fall — the season
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bass — low music
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. swing — music
  14. fall — to drop
  15. swing — to play on
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bass — the fish
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a hint
  23. swing — in golf
  24. season — of the year

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