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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. chest — of your body
  3. hand — help
  4. stock — shares
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. board — to get on
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chest — of your body
  9. board — a committee
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. chest — a box
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. date — on the calendar

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