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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: firm · stick · pitch · chest · hide · stock · kid · tear

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  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. tear — to rip
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. chest — of your body
  6. tear — from crying
  7. chest — of your body
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. firm — decided
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. firm — steady
  13. kid — to tease
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. tear — from crying
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — child
  18. pitch — completely
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stock — goods
  23. firm — a company
  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