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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. current — happening now
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. rock — a stone
  11. perch — the fish
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. current — electric
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cell — in biology
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rock — music
  18. cell — a phone
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. current — of water
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. perch — for a bird

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