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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  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 — lets stay
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — an illness
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pit — in a race
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — in football
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — all right
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. pit — a hole
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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