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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. season — in sport
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. content — the amount
  10. rest — what's left
  11. season — of the year
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. band — a music group
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bat — the animal
  17. content — happy
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. band — a ring
  21. lie — to recline
  22. rest — a break
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. lie — an untruth

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