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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. chip — to eat
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. face — part of the head
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. saw — the tool
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — to confront
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. chip — for betting
  19. squash — to crush
  20. can — a tin
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. wake — a trail
  24. squash — the sport

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