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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. deal — to handle
  3. pop — music
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. dip — to sink
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. file — a line of people
  9. pop — to visit
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. pop — soda
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. file — a tool
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. court — for sport
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. file — a document
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. court — of a king
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. court — of law

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