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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bear — the animal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. kick — in football
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cold — not warm
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. deal — to handle
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. cold — an illness
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bear — the animal
  24. kick — with a leg

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