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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. tube — the underground
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. present — the time now
  6. season — of the year
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. season — in sport
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. present — a gift
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mark — a grade
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. tube — a container
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — of a tree

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