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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. capital — a city
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pass — a permit
  7. stock — goods
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. net — after costs
  10. perch — the fish
  11. chest — a box
  12. stem — to come from
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. net — in sport
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. net — for catching
  20. stock — shares
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. chest — of your body
  24. capital — money

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