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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stock — goods
  3. face — to point toward
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. rock — a stone
  7. shower — to wash
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chest — a box
  11. row — to paddle
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. shower — rain
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. face — part of the head
  16. chest — of your body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. row — a line
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. chair — a leader
  21. rock — music
  22. face — to confront
  23. stock — shares
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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