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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. content — happy
  5. net — in sport
  6. lie — to recline
  7. spell — magic
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. net — for catching
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. spell — letters
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. content — the amount
  21. net — after costs
  22. spell — a short time
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. hand — in cards

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