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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 116 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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. clip — to cut
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. ball — a great time
  8. present — a gift
  9. staff — employees
  10. clip — a video
  11. present — there
  12. staff — employees
  13. pound — a weight
  14. rest — what's left
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. clip — for paper
  18. staff — a stick
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. rest — what's left
  22. ball — a dance
  23. present — the time now
  24. rest — a break

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