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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. club — for golf
  6. capital — a city
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. hand — in cards
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. capital — money
  14. foot — a measure
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. club — for dancing
  20. kick — in football
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. hand — help
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. club — a group

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