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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 116 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. game — a match
  4. rest — a break
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. face — to confront
  8. pit — in a race
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. squash — the sport
  13. game — wild animals
  14. spell — magic
  15. pit — a hole
  16. rest — what's left
  17. face — to point toward
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. squash — to crush
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rest — what's left
  24. face — part of the head

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