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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 120 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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. suit — clothes
  10. cold — an illness
  11. rest — a break
  12. swing — to play on
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rest — what's left
  16. suit — to fit
  17. rest — what's left
  18. club — for golf
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. scale — in music
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for dancing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. suit — in cards

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