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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: toast · stick · cold · calf · chest · stock · foot · hand

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cold — not warm
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. toast — bread
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stock — shares
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. stock — goods
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cold — an illness
  21. foot — a measure
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. hand — help
  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