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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. season — of the year
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to tire
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bat — the animal
  10. season — in sport
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — the amount
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. hand — help
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bore — to drill
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. content — happy
  24. foot — a measure

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