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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: board · press · craft · stock · foot · kid · chest · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. stock — shares
  3. press — newspapers
  4. board — to get on
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. press — to push
  7. kid — child
  8. stock — goods
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. board — a committee
  13. chest — a box
  14. swing — music
  15. craft — a skill
  16. kid — to tease
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. craft — boats
  19. chest — of your body
  20. press — a publisher
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. swing — in golf
  23. chest — of your body
  24. foot — a measure

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