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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. rock — music
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. branch — a division
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. snap — to click
  10. club — for golf
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. club — a group
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. toast — bread
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. club — for dancing
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. rock — a stone
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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