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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pit · content · lean · mine · mark · game · wound · leaves

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. pit — a hole
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. mine — for digging
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. content — happy
  17. mark — a trace
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. lean — to bend
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. content — the amount
  24. leaves — lets stay

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