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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. fall — the season
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. root — the cause
  9. fall — to drop
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — a series
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. root — of a plant
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rash — hasty
  22. root — of a word
  23. fall — to drop
  24. date — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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