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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. chest — of your body
  3. hand — help
  4. band — a music group
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. present — the time now
  7. chest — a box
  8. band — a ring
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. present — a gift
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. rock — a stone
  19. present — there
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. chest — of your body
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bay — a horse colour

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