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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. season — in sport
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. game — wild animals
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — certain
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. season — of the year
  15. lean — thin
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. lean — to bend
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. game — a match
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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