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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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. wake — a trail
  4. race — humankind
  5. land — ground
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. race — the arms race
  12. stand — to bear
  13. race — a contest
  14. clip — for paper
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. land — a country
  19. clip — a video
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. land — to come down
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. foot — a measure

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