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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. foot — a measure
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. court — of law
  5. suit — in cards
  6. suit — to fit
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. suit — clothes
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. court — of a king
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. present — there
  15. court — for sport
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. last — finally
  18. plane — a tool
  19. wound — an injury
  20. last — to go on
  21. present — a gift
  22. last — final
  23. wound — an injury
  24. present — the time now

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