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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 124 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. row — a line
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. object — a thing
  5. scale — in music
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. scale — size or range
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. degree — from a university
  12. face — to confront
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. ball — a great time
  15. degree — an amount
  16. object — an aim
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. row — to paddle
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. object — to protest
  21. ball — a dance
  22. face — part of the head
  23. degree — temperature
  24. face — to point toward

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