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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. track — to keep track
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — a cake
  11. track — a path
  12. chair — a leader
  13. track — a song
  14. last — finally
  15. file — a document
  16. last — final
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. last — to go on
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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