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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. rash — a series
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. land — ground
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. rush — hurry
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. press — to push
  17. land — to come down
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — a publisher
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. land — a country
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wake — a trail
  24. chest — of your body

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