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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. band — a ring
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. fall — to drop
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. band — a music group
  12. fall — the season
  13. chair — a leader
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. chest — a box
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. shower — to wash

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