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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. court — for sport
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — to breed
  6. cap — a lid
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. mate — a friend
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fall — the season
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fall — to drop
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — of law

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