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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. net — in sport
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. net — after costs
  9. cell — a phone
  10. track — a path
  11. net — for catching
  12. foot — a measure
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. mate — a partner
  17. pass — a permit
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. mate — to breed
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. track — a song
  23. cell — in biology
  24. track — to keep track

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