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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. file — a document
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. chest — a box
  9. staff — employees
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. file — a line of people
  12. staff — employees
  13. chest — of your body
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. mine — for digging
  17. file — a tool
  18. chair — a leader
  19. staff — a stick
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. rush — hurry
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. rush — to hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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