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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. pop — soda
  3. game — wild animals
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. chest — a box
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. ball — a great time
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. ball — a dance
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. pitch — completely
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pop — music
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — money
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. chest — of your body
  23. capital — a city
  24. pop — to visit

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