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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. chest — of your body
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. track — a path
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. chest — of your body
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. sharp — clever
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. chest — a box

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