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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. wake — a trail
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bat — the animal
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. last — final
  12. object — to protest
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. shower — rain
  15. last — to go on
  16. pop — soda
  17. pound — a weight
  18. object — an aim
  19. pop — music
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. last — finally
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wake — before a funeral

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