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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chest — of your body
  5. season — of the year
  6. spring — the season
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bear — the animal
  9. season — in sport
  10. spring — of water
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. spring — a coil
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. chest — a box
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bear — the animal
  24. season — to add flavour

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