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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. chest — a box
  4. mark — a trace
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bore — to tire
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. firm — a company
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bore — to drill
  15. chest — of your body
  16. firm — decided
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. firm — steady
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — final
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. last — finally

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