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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cap — of ice
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cap — a hat
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. chair — a leader
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chest — a box
  17. fall — the season
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pass — a permit
  21. rush — hurry
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. cap — a lid

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