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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. ground — crushed
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — the earth
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. foot — a measure
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stock — shares
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. chest — a box
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stock — goods

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