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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. chest — a box
  6. press — a publisher
  7. fall — the season
  8. sharp — clever
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. vault — a safe
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. chest — of your body
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. game — a match
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. press — newspapers
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. press — to push
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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