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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fall — the season
  3. march — the month
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. chest — a box
  8. march — music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cap — a lid
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. march — the month
  15. saw — the tool
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. chest — of your body
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. fall — to drop
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. saw — the tool

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