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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cap — a hat
  5. spring — a coil
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. cap — a lid
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. fine — all right
  14. lean — thin
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. spring — of water
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. spring — the season
  21. hand — help
  22. cap — of ice
  23. fine — high quality
  24. lean — to bend

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