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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  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 — lets stay
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. rock — music
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. content — the amount
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. court — for sport
  12. rash — a series
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. court — of a king
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pass — a permit
  20. content — happy
  21. court — of law
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bat — for baseball
  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