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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. rest — what's left
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. capital — money
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. game — wild animals
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. capital — a city
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. game — a match
  21. prune — to trim
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. game — a kind of play

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