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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. suit — in cards
  4. season — in sport
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. last — finally
  7. suit — to fit
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. capital — money
  10. last — final
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. lie — to recline
  14. suit — clothes
  15. season — of the year
  16. last — to go on
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. plane — a tool
  24. capital — a city

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