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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. cell — in biology
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. spell — a short time
  11. track — a path
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. cell — a phone
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. bear — the animal
  21. track — a song
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. track — to keep track

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