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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 116 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. court — for sport
  4. object — an aim
  5. current — electric
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. current — of water
  8. fall — to drop
  9. object — to protest
  10. season — in sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. season — of the year
  14. fall — to drop
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. tear — from crying
  17. court — of law
  18. object — a thing
  19. tear — to rip
  20. dip — to sink
  21. tear — from crying
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. current — happening now
  24. fall — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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