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

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. band — a ring
  3. staff — employees
  4. chest — of your body
  5. ball — a dance
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. degree — from a university
  8. band — a music group
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. ball — a great time
  13. squash — the sport
  14. staff — employees
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. degree — an amount
  17. staff — a stick
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. squash — to crush
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. degree — temperature
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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