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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: foot · pit · chest · squash · stock · bear · bound · snap

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. pit — in a race
  3. bound — tied together
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. chest — of your body
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. snap — to click
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pit — a hole
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bear — the animal
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — goods
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — obliged
  24. stock — shares

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