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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. chest — a box
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pit — in a race
  7. board — a committee
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. pit — a hole
  11. kid — to tease
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. foot — a measure
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. wind — moving air
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. kid — child
  21. chest — of your body
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. chest — of your body

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