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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. game — a match
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. club — for golf
  7. mate — a partner
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. club — a group
  17. mate — a friend
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — the animal
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. rock — a stone
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mate — to breed

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