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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. drill — army training
  3. chest — a box
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. stock — goods
  10. cold — an illness
  11. stock — shares
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. scale — in music
  15. bear — the animal
  16. drill — a practice
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. chair — a leader
  20. drill — the tool
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cold — not warm

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