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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. can — a tin
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. saw — the tool
  6. prune — to trim
  7. court — of a king
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. chest — a box
  12. date — the fruit
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. can — a tin
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. prune — to trim
  17. can — to be able to
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. leaves — of a tree

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