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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. game — a match
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bear — the animal
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — in music
  17. chair — a leader
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. chest — a box
  21. bear — the animal
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. nail — for a hammer

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