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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. chest — of your body
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. fall — the season
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. chip — for betting
  12. fall — to drop
  13. chest — a box
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. swing — to play on
  16. fall — to drop
  17. swing — music
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. snap — to click
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. swing — in golf
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. chest — of your body
  24. coach — a trainer

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