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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 120 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bear — the animal
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. face — to point toward
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. ball — a great time
  16. face — part of the head
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. chest — a box
  20. last — finally
  21. bear — the animal
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. chest — of your body
  24. face — to confront

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