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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. snap — to click
  3. staff — employees
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bat — the animal
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. file — a line of people
  10. staff — a stick
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. file — a tool
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. staff — employees
  21. fine — all right
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. file — a document
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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