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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. can — a tin
  3. season — in sport
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. stock — goods
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. can — to be able to
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. staff — employees
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. can — a tin
  17. season — of the year
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mark — a trace
  21. wound — an injury
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. mark — a grade
  24. wound — an injury

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