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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. rest — a break
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. rest — what's left
  11. plane — a tool
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. cold — an illness
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. jam — in traffic

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