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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. staff — employees
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. staff — a stick
  7. court — for sport
  8. hand — help
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. mate — to breed
  11. court — of a king
  12. hand — in cards
  13. fine — high quality
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wound — an injury
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. court — of law
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. wake — a trail
  23. staff — employees
  24. fine — all right

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