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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. tube — the underground
  5. stock — shares
  6. object — to protest
  7. pit — a hole
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pit — in a race
  10. object — a thing
  11. kid — to tease
  12. chest — of your body
  13. kid — child
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. tube — a container
  22. object — an aim
  23. rest — a break
  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