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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. row — to paddle
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. sharp — clever
  5. stock — shares
  6. row — a line
  7. firm — a company
  8. chest — of your body
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. branch — a division
  13. chest — of your body
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. firm — steady
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. stock — goods
  24. firm — decided

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