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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. chest — a box
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. chest — of your body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. cold — an illness
  14. board — a committee
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. present — the time now
  17. cold — not warm
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. board — to get on
  20. present — there
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. chest — of your body
  23. stock — goods
  24. present — a gift

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