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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. net — in sport
  4. spell — letters
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. file — a line of people
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. kick — in football
  9. spell — magic
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. pop — soda
  13. rush — hurry
  14. pop — to visit
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. spell — a short time
  19. file — a document
  20. pop — music
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. file — a tool

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