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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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. bat — for baseball
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rock — music
  6. current — of water
  7. bat — the animal
  8. drill — the tool
  9. prune — to trim
  10. stock — shares
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — to get on
  14. drill — a practice
  15. stock — goods
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. drill — army training
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. current — electric
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. rock — a stone
  24. current — happening now

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