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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. mate — to breed
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. file — a tool
  5. cue — a signal
  6. mate — a friend
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. game — a match
  15. file — a document
  16. mate — a partner
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. scale — in music
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. scale — size or range
  21. file — a line of people
  22. game — wild animals
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. sharp — clever

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