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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. lean — to bend
  3. saw — the tool
  4. land — a country
  5. march — music
  6. spell — letters
  7. march — the month
  8. game — a match
  9. lean — thin
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. land — ground
  14. spell — magic
  15. game — wild animals
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. firm — decided
  18. saw — the tool
  19. firm — a company
  20. march — the month
  21. firm — steady
  22. spell — a short time
  23. land — to come down
  24. lean — to rest against

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