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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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. chair — to sit on
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bear — the animal
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. chest — of your body
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. ground — crushed
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chest — a box
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. squash — the sport
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. ground — the earth
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. squash — to crush
  24. ground — a position

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