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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. net — after costs
  3. staff — employees
  4. saw — the tool
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. spell — letters
  8. staff — employees
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. spell — a short time
  11. staff — a stick
  12. saw — the tool
  13. chip — for betting
  14. game — wild animals
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. chip — to eat
  17. season — of the year
  18. spell — magic
  19. game — a match
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. net — for catching
  22. season — in sport
  23. net — in sport
  24. season — to add flavour

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