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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. ground — the earth
  4. last — to go on
  5. cue — a signal
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. cue — for pool
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bound — obliged
  12. ground — crushed
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bound — tied together
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. last — final
  17. fall — the season
  18. last — finally
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bound — certain
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. ground — a position
  24. cue — a hint

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