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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — to bear
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. kid — child
  10. bark — to shout
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. last — final
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. fine — high quality
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. fine — all right
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. leaves — of a tree

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