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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. sharp — clever
  5. band — a ring
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. snap — to click
  12. bark — to shout
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. band — a music group
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. wound — an injury
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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