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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. rock — music
  3. court — for sport
  4. spell — letters
  5. mug — to rob
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. court — of a king
  8. fine — all right
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. lean — to bend
  11. mug — a cup
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mine — for digging
  15. court — of law
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — thin
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mug — a face
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. rock — a stone
  24. fine — high quality

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