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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. land — to come down
  5. chest — a box
  6. mate — a friend
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rash — a series
  9. mate — to breed
  10. key — for a lock
  11. land — ground
  12. mate — a partner
  13. chest — of your body
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rash — hasty
  16. chest — of your body
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music
  19. land — a country
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. degree — from a university
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. leaves — to go away

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