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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bear — the animal
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. fine — all right
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. mark — a grade
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bear — the animal
  14. stock — goods
  15. toast — bread
  16. clip — for paper
  17. chest — a box
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. mark — a trace
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — high quality
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. stock — shares
  24. clip — a video

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