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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. kick — in football
  4. suit — clothes
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. season — in sport
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. degree — an amount
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. degree — from a university
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. capital — a city
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. shower — rain
  19. capital — money
  20. suit — to fit
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. degree — temperature
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. suit — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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