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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. lean — thin
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. fork — in a road
  9. game — wild animals
  10. file — a tool
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. row — a line
  17. chair — a leader
  18. wake — a trail
  19. file — a document
  20. row — to paddle
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. game — a match
  23. file — a line of people
  24. lean — to bend

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