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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. current — of water
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. hand — in cards
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. cold — not warm
  8. current — electric
  9. chair — a leader
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. chest — of your body
  14. prune — to trim
  15. current — happening now
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fine — all right
  19. hand — help
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. fine — high quality
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. prune — to trim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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