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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. shower — rain
  4. present — there
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. mine — for digging
  8. present — a gift
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. suit — in cards
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. shower — to wash
  18. wound — an injury
  19. suit — clothes
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. present — the time now
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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