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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. rule — government
  3. foot — a measure
  4. lean — thin
  5. drill — army training
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. mark — a trace
  9. rest — a break
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. drill — the tool
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rule — a law
  18. drill — a practice
  19. stock — goods
  20. mark — a grade
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. lean — to bend
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. stock — shares

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