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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. cap — a hat
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pitch — completely
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. shower — to wash
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. game — a match
  11. date — the fruit
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. rash — hasty
  15. shower — rain
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. game — wild animals
  21. toast — bread
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. rash — a series

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