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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chest — of your body
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. stock — shares
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. ball — a dance
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. stock — goods
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. ball — a great time
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wake — a trail
  24. ball — a round shape

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