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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. stock — shares
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. stock — goods
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. staff — employees
  15. bound — tied together
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. kick — in football
  20. hand — help
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to click

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