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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: chest · mouse · ball · last · spell · pass · swing · stock

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. last — final
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. pass — a permit
  6. swing — to play on
  7. last — finally
  8. stock — goods
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stock — shares
  14. swing — music
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. ball — a great time
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. last — to go on
  23. swing — in golf
  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