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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rush — hurry
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chair — a leader
  9. tube — a container
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fall — to drop
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. rest — a break
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. bat — the animal
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. tube — the underground
  22. fall — the season
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bat — in an idiom

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