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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. mark — a trace
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. club — for dancing
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mark — a grade
  10. row — a line
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. row — to paddle
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. scale — size or range
  17. club — a group
  18. rush — hurry
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. scale — in music
  22. club — for golf
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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