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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for dancing
  4. land — ground
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. stock — goods
  9. pit — in a race
  10. last — to go on
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. season — in sport
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. club — for golf
  19. land — to come down
  20. last — finally
  21. last — final
  22. land — a country
  23. season — of the year
  24. pit — a hole

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