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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. ground — a position
  3. track — a song
  4. court — of law
  5. tear — from crying
  6. track — a path
  7. bulb — for light
  8. track — to keep track
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. wind — moving air
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bulb — for light
  13. court — for sport
  14. ground — crushed
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. ground — the earth
  19. court — of a king
  20. tear — to rip
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stand — to bear
  24. wind — to turn a key

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