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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · leaves · foot · coach · content · chest

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. chest — a box
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. content — happy
  13. chest — of your body
  14. foot — a measure
  15. content — the amount
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. chest — of your body
  18. hand — part of the body

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