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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. present — there
  4. stock — goods
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pitch — completely
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stock — shares
  10. rest — what's left
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. chest — a box
  13. present — the time now
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. chest — of your body
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rest — a break
  20. present — a gift
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — a hat
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. chest — of your body

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