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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chest — of your body
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — a hole
  9. club — for dancing
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. club — for golf
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pit — in a race
  16. chest — a box
  17. club — a group
  18. chip — to eat
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. march — the month
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. wound — an injury

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