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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. rash — a series
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. spell — letters
  6. tear — from crying
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rest — what's left
  9. tear — from crying
  10. content — happy
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. rest — a break
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bat — the animal
  18. tear — to rip
  19. spell — magic
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a dish

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