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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wake — a trail
  3. chair — a leader
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. cap — a lid
  6. perch — the fish
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. cue — a hint
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. prune — to trim
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cue — for pool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cap — of ice
  21. chest — a box
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cue — a signal
  24. chair — to sit on

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