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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. land — ground
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. rest — what's left
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. rest — a break
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — a trail
  14. march — the month
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. march — the month
  18. band — a ring
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. march — music
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. coach — a trainer

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