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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. perch — the fish
  3. mark — a grade
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — a series
  6. squash — to crush
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mark — a trace
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. squash — the sport
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. stock — shares

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