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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. shower — to wash
  3. band — a music group
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. band — a ring
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. chest — a box
  8. stock — goods
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. fine — all right
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. rash — a series
  20. shower — rain
  21. bulb — for light
  22. fine — high quality
  23. stock — shares
  24. bulb — for light

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