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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. firm — a company
  6. foot — a measure
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. season — in sport
  10. ball — a great time
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. ball — a dance
  13. mate — to breed
  14. wax — to grow
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. season — of the year
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mate — a partner
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. firm — steady
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. firm — decided

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