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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bat — the animal
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. degree — an amount
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. degree — from a university
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. foot — a measure
  21. march — the month
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. degree — temperature
  24. foot — the bottom

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