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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. cold — an illness
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. deal — to handle
  11. court — of a king
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. court — of law
  22. court — for sport
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bear — the animal

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