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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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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: tear · last · club · sharp · leaves · foot · fall · season

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. last — final
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. fall — to drop
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. last — finally
  11. sharp — clever
  12. tear — from crying
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. club — for golf
  16. last — to go on
  17. foot — a measure
  18. club — for dancing
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. club — a group
  22. tear — from crying
  23. season — in sport
  24. tear — to rip

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