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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. clip — to cut
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. clip — for paper
  7. pitch — completely
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. spell — magic
  12. rash — hasty
  13. clip — a video
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. field — farmland
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. field — for sport
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. scale — in music
  22. field — a subject
  23. rash — a series
  24. spell — letters

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