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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stock — shares
  3. current — electric
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. press — to push
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — decided
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stock — goods
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. current — of water
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. current — happening now
  20. press — a publisher
  21. firm — steady
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. chest — a box
  24. press — newspapers

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