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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. chair — a leader
  5. tube — a container
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. season — in sport
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. season — of the year
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. mate — a friend
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. tube — the underground
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. temple — side of the head

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