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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 120 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. stock — goods
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. kid — child
  11. bat — the animal
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. kid — to tease
  14. stock — shares
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cell — in biology
  23. last — final
  24. leaves — lets stay

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