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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — letters
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. scale — size or range
  8. content — happy
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. ball — a dance
  12. rush — hurry
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. scale — in music
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. spell — a short time
  17. content — the amount
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — low music

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