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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 120 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. mark — a grade
  3. hand — in cards
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. fall — to drop
  7. last — to go on
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. last — final
  10. mark — a trace
  11. last — finally
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. board — a committee
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. fall — the season
  20. ball — a great time
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. ball — a dance
  23. board — to get on
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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