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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bear — the animal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — humankind
  10. branch — a division
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bear — the animal
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. stock — goods
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hand — in cards
  19. stock — shares
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. race — a contest
  24. hand — help

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