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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chest — of your body
  5. spell — a short time
  6. chair — a leader
  7. spell — magic
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. staff — employees
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chest — of your body
  16. kid — to tease
  17. staff — a stick
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. spell — letters
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. kid — child
  22. staff — employees
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. stand — to bear

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