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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pop — to visit
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. pop — soda
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. pop — music
  17. pitch — completely
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bark — to shout
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. clip — for paper
  24. leaves — lets stay

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