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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. suit — in cards
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. wound — an injury
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. mine — for digging
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bat — the animal
  9. suit — to fit
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. present — there
  18. court — for sport
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — the time now
  21. court — of law
  22. court — of a king
  23. suit — clothes
  24. mine — belonging to me

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