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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pit — in a race
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pop — music
  7. pit — a hole
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. track — a path
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. track — a song
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. pop — soda
  21. bound — certain
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bat — the animal
  24. leaves — to go away

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