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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. shower — rain
  6. sharp — clever
  7. mug — a face
  8. wind — moving air
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. wind — moving air
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. ball — a dance
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. mug — a cup
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. last — to go on
  20. mug — to rob
  21. ball — a great time
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. shower — to wash

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