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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. fall — to drop
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wake — a trail
  5. club — for golf
  6. fall — to drop
  7. club — a group
  8. rest — a break
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. fall — the season
  13. chest — of your body
  14. club — for dancing
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. rest — what's left
  20. degree — an amount
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. chest — of your body
  24. degree — temperature

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