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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mate — a partner
  6. squash — the sport
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bat — the animal
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. rock — music
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rock — a stone
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a friend
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rock — to move gently

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