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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. mug — a face
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. kid — child
  5. chest — a box
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mug — to rob
  8. board — to get on
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mark — a grade
  12. stock — shares
  13. cell — in biology
  14. stock — goods
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. cell — a phone
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. toast — bread
  24. kid — to tease

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