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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rest — a break
  3. charge — electricity
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. rest — what's left
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. rest — what's left
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. spring — of water
  14. charge — a price
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. chest — of your body
  18. kick — in football
  19. charge — in control
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a great time
  22. spring — the season
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. leaves — of a tree

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