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

Word bank: arm · object · march · stock · chest · pitch · rest · swing

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. swing — in golf
  3. chest — of your body
  4. swing — to play on
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — a thing
  7. stock — goods
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. stock — shares
  10. march — the month
  11. object — an aim
  12. rest — what's left
  13. chest — a box
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. rest — a break
  16. march — the month
  17. chest — of your body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pitch — completely
  20. march — music
  21. rest — what's left
  22. swing — music
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. stock — a soup base

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