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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. net — after costs
  5. content — happy
  6. spring — a coil
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. net — in sport
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. content — the amount
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. toast — bread
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. wake — a trail
  16. spring — the season
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. net — for catching
  24. spring — of water

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