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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rush · nail · chest · game · pitcher · safe · bat · stock

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. game — a match
  6. chest — a box
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. chest — of your body
  16. game — wild animals
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rush — hurry

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