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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 116 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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. pitch — completely
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. last — to go on
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. last — final
  9. hand — help
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. content — the amount
  17. rock — music
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. last — finally
  20. rock — a stone
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. content — happy

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