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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. drill — the tool
  3. ball — a great time
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pitch — completely
  6. wound — an injury
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ball — a dance
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. last — final
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. drill — a practice
  18. last — finally
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. last — to go on
  23. drill — army training
  24. ground — a position

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