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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. board — to get on
  6. rest — what's left
  7. board — a committee
  8. kid — child
  9. last — finally
  10. bat — the animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a hole
  18. rest — a break
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. kid — to tease
  24. prune — the fruit

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