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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. hand — in cards
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. hand — help
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. degree — an amount
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. degree — temperature
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. land — a country
  16. rock — music
  17. degree — from a university
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. land — ground
  20. rock — a stone
  21. deal — to handle
  22. land — to come down
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. leaves — lets stay

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