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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. net — in sport
  4. charge — electricity
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. chest — of your body
  8. swing — in golf
  9. net — after costs
  10. last — final
  11. charge — in control
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. charge — a price
  14. net — for catching
  15. swing — to play on
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. track — a path
  19. swing — music
  20. track — to keep track
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. track — a song
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go on

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