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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · content · last · bay · lean · leaves

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. mate — a friend
  3. content — happy
  4. mate — a partner
  5. last — final
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. mate — to breed
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. content — the amount
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. last — to go on
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. lean — thin

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