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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. pitch — completely
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cold — not warm
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. rash — hasty
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. roll — a list
  21. cold — an illness
  22. roll — a cake
  23. pit — in a race
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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