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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. stock — goods
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. rush — hurry
  6. stock — shares
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. wake — a trail
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. dip — to sink
  15. spring — a coil
  16. chest — a box
  17. perch — the fish
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. spring — the season
  21. chest — of your body
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. spring — of water

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