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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. chest — of your body
  4. last — to go on
  5. bound — obliged
  6. fine — high quality
  7. staff — employees
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. staff — a stick
  11. rush — hurry
  12. staff — employees
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — goods
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. last — finally
  19. fine — all right
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. last — final
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. chest — of your body

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