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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chest · board · pitch · mark · rash · craft · snap · stock

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. board — to get on
  3. rash — hasty
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. craft — a skill
  7. mark — a trace
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. pitch — completely
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. rash — a series
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. chest — a box
  14. stock — goods
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. board — a committee
  17. stock — shares
  18. chest — of your body
  19. snap — to click
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. mark — a grade
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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