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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. pit — in a race
  4. stock — goods
  5. chest — a box
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wake — a trail
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — the amount
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. content — happy
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pit — a hole
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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