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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. board — to get on
  5. last — to go on
  6. board — a committee
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stock — goods
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. last — final
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. stock — shares
  19. rest — a break
  20. last — finally
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. lean — to bend

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