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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. court — of law
  6. staff — employees
  7. cell — in biology
  8. court — of a king
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. fall — the season
  11. chest — a box
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. staff — a stick
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cell — a phone
  20. staff — employees
  21. fall — to drop
  22. court — for sport
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bowl — a football final

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