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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bound — certain
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. chest — of your body
  6. scale — size or range
  7. stock — shares
  8. scale — in music
  9. rule — a law
  10. season — in sport
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rule — government
  15. bound — obliged
  16. season — of the year
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bound — tied together
  19. kid — to tease
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stock — goods
  23. kid — child
  24. stock — a soup base

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