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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. net — in sport
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. rash — a series
  5. content — the amount
  6. squash — to crush
  7. content — happy
  8. rash — hasty
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. ground — crushed
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. rest — a break
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. ground — the earth
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — to bear
  22. squash — the sport
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. ground — a position

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