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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: stock · calf · lie · mark · chest · toast · cold · patient

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. mark — a trace
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mark — a grade
  6. stock — shares
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. stock — goods
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. toast — bread
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. chest — a box
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. lie — to recline
  19. chest — of your body
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cold — the Cold War
  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