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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. present — a gift
  3. chest — of your body
  4. stock — goods
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. drill — the tool
  8. present — there
  9. drill — army training
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — a trail
  14. stock — shares
  15. present — the time now
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. tube — a container
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. drill — a practice
  20. land — to come down
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. tube — the underground

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