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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. swing — in golf
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. stock — goods
  5. pound — a weight
  6. swing — to play on
  7. lean — to bend
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. lean — thin
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stock — shares
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. swing — music
  15. field — a subject
  16. chest — a box
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. field — farmland
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. field — for sport
  24. foot — a measure

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