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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pit — a hole
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. court — for sport
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. club — for dancing
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. court — of law
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — to fit
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. tear — to rip
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. pit — in a race
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. tear — from crying
  20. court — of a king
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — a group
  23. suit — clothes
  24. wake — a trail

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