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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. track — a path
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. rest — what's left
  8. land — ground
  9. land — a country
  10. content — happy
  11. content — the amount
  12. land — to come down
  13. last — finally
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. last — final
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. rest — a break
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. last — to go on
  23. rest — what's left
  24. lash — to lash out

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