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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  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. leaves — lets stay
  3. last — final
  4. chest — a box
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. charge — in control
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. last — finally
  10. swing — to play on
  11. pound — a weight
  12. last — to go on
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. fall — to drop
  15. charge — a price
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — a tool
  18. swing — in golf
  19. fall — to drop
  20. swing — music
  21. fall — the season
  22. chest — of your body
  23. charge — electricity
  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