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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. drill — a practice
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. pop — soda
  8. drill — the tool
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bound — tied together
  12. drill — army training
  13. kid — to tease
  14. spell — letters
  15. bound — obliged
  16. pop — music
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — child
  19. bound — certain
  20. spell — magic
  21. pop — to visit
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. leaves — to go away

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