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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bass — the fish
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bass — low music
  10. root — of a word
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. chest — of your body
  14. root — of a plant
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to point toward
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. root — the cause

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