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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. chest — of your body
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — child
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — a safe
  13. kid — to tease
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chest — a box
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bear — the animal

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