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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. last — final
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. court — of law
  5. last — finally
  6. court — for sport
  7. game — wild animals
  8. last — to go on
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. lean — to bend
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. game — a match
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. dip — to sink
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. court — of a king
  21. prune — to trim
  22. lean — thin
  23. fork — in a road
  24. prune — to trim

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