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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. rock — music
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. net — in sport
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. toast — bread
  13. land — to come down
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. land — a country
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mark — a grade
  19. rock — a stone
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. land — ground
  23. rush — hurry
  24. nail — on a finger

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