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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. chest — of your body
  3. court — for sport
  4. stock — shares
  5. cell — a phone
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. court — of a king
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. court — of law
  13. chest — of your body
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cell — in biology
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. stock — goods
  18. bank — for money
  19. chest — a box
  20. sharp — clever
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bank — for money
  24. calf — a young animal

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