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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fall — to drop
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. fall — the season
  8. bear — the animal
  9. chair — a leader
  10. ground — the earth
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. ground — a position
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. ground — crushed
  24. foot — a measure

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