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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. stock — goods
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bank — for money
  7. net — for catching
  8. chest — a box
  9. shower — rain
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bank — of a river
  12. rule — government
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bank — for money
  17. rule — a law
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. stock — shares
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. shower — to wash
  22. fine — all right
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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