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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pit — in a race
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. roll — a list
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. pit — a hole
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. roll — a cake
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. wake — a trail
  20. saw — the tool
  21. shower — rain
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. shower — to wash
  24. racket — for tennis

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