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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 120 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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. lean — to bend
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. ball — a dance
  7. season — of the year
  8. lean — thin
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fork — in a road
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. season — in sport
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chest — a box

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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