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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. rock — music
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. stock — goods
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. season — of the year
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rock — a stone
  15. tube — the underground
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. stock — shares
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. season — in sport

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