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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 120 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. court — of law
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. cold — not warm
  6. firm — a company
  7. chest — of your body
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. tube — the underground
  11. court — for sport
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — an illness
  16. tube — a container
  17. firm — decided
  18. firm — steady
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  24. court — of a king

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