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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. swing — music
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. swing — in golf
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. saw — the tool
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. swing — to play on
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. cap — of ice
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. cap — a lid
  18. march — the month
  19. saw — the tool
  20. march — music
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. spring — the season
  23. march — the month
  24. cap — a hat

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