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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: mine · object · stock · chip · chest · board · key · last

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — a committee
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — final
  9. key — the most important part
  10. mine — for digging
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. object — a thing
  15. chip — to eat
  16. object — an aim
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. last — finally
  21. object — to protest
  22. chip — for betting
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. board — to get on

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