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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. chest — of your body
  3. branch — a division
  4. deal — to handle
  5. firm — decided
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pop — to visit
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. pop — music
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. firm — steady
  16. firm — a company
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. chest — a box
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. pop — soda
  24. rock — a stone

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