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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. net — in sport
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. can — to be able to
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. charge — a price
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. can — a tin
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. fine — high quality
  12. hand — help
  13. net — after costs
  14. fine — all right
  15. chest — a box
  16. stock — shares
  17. net — for catching
  18. can — a tin
  19. stock — goods
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — in control

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