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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. band — a music group
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. cold — not warm
  6. court — of law
  7. mate — a friend
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — in football
  11. band — a ring
  12. mate — to breed
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. mate — a partner
  15. court — for sport
  16. cold — an illness
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. mark — a grade
  23. court — of a king
  24. mark — a trace

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