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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. content — the amount
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. land — a country
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. land — ground
  11. file — a document
  12. season — of the year
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. file — a line of people
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. season — in sport
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pass — a permit
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. content — happy
  22. file — a tool
  23. land — to come down
  24. arm — a part of something

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