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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: pit · calf · bulb · bound · deal · stock · chest · sharp

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — certain
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. chest — of your body
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. pit — a hole
  11. stock — goods
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bound — tied together
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bulb — for light
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. stock — shares
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pit — in a race
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. chest — a box

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