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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. content — happy
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. content — the amount
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bass — low music
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — the fish
  13. deal — to handle
  14. kid — to tease
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. kid — child
  17. rash — hasty
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. rash — a series
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. wake — a trail

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