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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. last — to go on
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chest — a box
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. last — final
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. toast — bread
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. last — finally

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