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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. kid — to tease
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. track — a song
  7. kid — child
  8. club — a group
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. ball — a great time
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. track — a path
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. club — for dancing
  16. tube — the underground
  17. scale — size or range
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. track — to keep track
  21. season — in sport
  22. club — for golf
  23. tube — a container
  24. leaves — of a tree

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