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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. game — a match
  7. march — the month
  8. game — wild animals
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. march — the month
  11. track — a path
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. march — music
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. kid — child
  16. pitch — completely
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. chest — of your body
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. kid — to tease
  21. plane — a tool
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. track — a song
  24. track — to keep track

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