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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pit — a hole
  4. staff — a stick
  5. game — wild animals
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rash — a series
  9. staff — employees
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. chest — a box
  12. staff — employees
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bear — the animal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pit — in a race
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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