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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bulb · file · pop · content · stock · staff · chest · net

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bulb — for light
  5. file — a line of people
  6. staff — employees
  7. stock — shares
  8. net — in sport
  9. content — the amount
  10. pop — to visit
  11. net — after costs
  12. bulb — for light
  13. net — for catching
  14. stock — goods
  15. file — a document
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. pop — music
  18. chest — a box
  19. content — happy
  20. file — a tool
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. staff — employees
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. pop — soda

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