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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. fall — the season
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chair — a leader
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. cell — a phone
  6. chest — a box
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chest — of your body
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. staff — a stick
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cell — in biology
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. track — a song
  16. fall — to drop
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. track — a path
  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