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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. land — a country
  9. suit — clothes
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. land — to come down
  13. rush — hurry
  14. suit — in cards
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. stock — shares
  17. swing — in golf
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. suit — to fit
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. land — ground

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