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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — bread
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bound — tied together
  7. field — farmland
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — a practice
  10. track — to keep track
  11. field — a subject
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bound — certain
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. bound — obliged
  17. track — a song
  18. drill — the tool
  19. cap — of ice
  20. field — for sport
  21. track — a path
  22. cap — a hat
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pitcher — a jug

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