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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. season — of the year
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — a thing
  5. march — music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. suit — in cards
  9. file — a document
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. scale — in music
  13. object — an aim
  14. march — the month
  15. suit — clothes
  16. march — the month
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. file — a line of people
  20. suit — to fit
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. season — in sport
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. file — a tool

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