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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bat — the animal
  6. spell — a short time
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. spell — letters
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mug — a face
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. stock — shares
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — to rob
  21. degree — temperature
  22. board — to get on
  23. stock — goods
  24. spell — magic

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