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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. stock — goods
  5. chest — a box
  6. race — the arms race
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chest — of your body
  9. kick — in football
  10. date — the fruit
  11. scale — in music
  12. race — humankind
  13. stock — shares
  14. race — a contest
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. scale — size or range
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — with a leg

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