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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. ball — a dance
  16. mug — to rob
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. chest — of your body
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. chair — a leader
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. chest — a box
  23. ball — a great time
  24. chest — of your body

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