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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. pit — in a race
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. date — the fruit
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. last — to go on
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pit — a hole
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. track — to keep track
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bat — the animal
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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