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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 120 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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bear — the animal
  4. drill — the tool
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. game — wild animals
  12. field — a subject
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. drill — army training
  15. game — a match
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. ball — a great time
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cell — a phone
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. drill — a practice
  23. cell — in biology
  24. ball — a dance

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