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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. row — a line
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. season — of the year
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. shower — rain
  10. tube — a container
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. squash — the sport
  13. game — wild animals
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. tube — the underground
  17. game — a match
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. row — to paddle
  23. shower — to wash
  24. row — a quarrel

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