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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. lie — to recline
  3. stem — to come from
  4. chest — of your body
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. march — music
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. march — the month
  17. chair — a leader
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. march — the month
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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