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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stock — goods
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. board — to get on
  8. can — a tin
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. land — to come down
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. can — to be able to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. land — a country
  23. can — a tin
  24. land — ground

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