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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. club — for golf
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. club — a group
  5. chest — of your body
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. chest — a box
  9. track — a path
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. track — to keep track
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. toast — bread
  16. track — a song
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — a contest
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chair — a leader
  23. perch — the fish
  24. club — for dancing

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