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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. present — the time now
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. court — of law
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to click
  10. present — there
  11. club — for golf
  12. land — ground
  13. bat — the animal
  14. court — for sport
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. land — to come down
  18. club — for dancing
  19. ball — a great time
  20. court — of a king
  21. land — a country
  22. present — a gift
  23. ball — a dance
  24. club — a group

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