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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. last — to go on
  3. hand — in cards
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pit — a hole
  7. file — a line of people
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. stand — to bear
  10. hand — help
  11. mate — to breed
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. last — finally
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. mate — a partner
  18. last — final
  19. mate — a friend
  20. file — a document
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. file — a tool
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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