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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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. mine — belonging to me
  4. kid — to tease
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mine — for digging
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pit — a hole
  9. fine — high quality
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pit — in a race
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. kid — child
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. calf — of the leg

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