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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. march — the month
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. squash — the sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. march — the month
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. march — music
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. tube — a container
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. date — the fruit
  24. squash — to crush

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