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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. chest — of your body
  3. last — finally
  4. chest — a box
  5. can — to be able to
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. can — a tin
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. press — to push
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. can — a tin
  15. perch — the fish
  16. chest — of your body
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. last — final
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. last — to go on
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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