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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. mate — a friend
  3. season — of the year
  4. mine — for digging
  5. club — for golf
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mate — to breed
  10. fork — in a road
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. club — for dancing
  13. press — newspapers
  14. mate — a partner
  15. club — a group
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. season — in sport
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — for paper
  23. press — to push
  24. press — a publisher

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