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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 116 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. snap — to click
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. kid — to tease
  5. file — a tool
  6. lean — thin
  7. file — a line of people
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. drill — the tool
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. lean — to bend
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. file — a document
  15. drill — army training
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. court — of law
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. kid — child
  22. pass — a permit
  23. drill — a practice
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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