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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  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. chest — a box
  2. rash — a series
  3. cap — of ice
  4. court — of law
  5. wake — a trail
  6. court — of a king
  7. cap — a hat
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chip — for betting
  10. lean — to bend
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chest — of your body
  13. lean — thin
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. fall — the season
  21. court — for sport
  22. rash — hasty
  23. cap — a lid
  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