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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. court — of a king
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — the animal
  5. present — the time now
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. present — a gift
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. band — a music group
  14. tube — a container
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. season — in sport
  17. tube — the underground
  18. season — of the year
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. present — there
  22. band — a ring
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bat — in an idiom

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