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

Word bank: scale · leaves · snap · suit · last · fork · bat · pass

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. suit — in cards
  7. scale — in music
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. suit — to fit
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. last — final
  12. scale — size or range
  13. suit — clothes
  14. last — finally
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. last — to go on
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bat — the animal
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. snap — to click
  24. pass — a permit

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