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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. saw — the tool
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. march — the month
  9. foot — a measure
  10. march — music
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. band — a ring
  14. march — the month
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. pitch — completely
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. stand — to bear
  22. band — a music group
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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