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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: leaves · rush · tube · pit · racket · perch · date · kid

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  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. rush — a thrill
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pit — in a race
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. tube — the underground
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. kid — to tease
  9. perch — the fish
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. tube — a container
  13. date — the fruit
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. pit — a hole
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. kid — child
  23. perch — for a bird
  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