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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 120 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: ball · game · chest · press · trunk · cue · stock · current

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. ball — a dance
  3. press — to push
  4. ball — a great time
  5. cue — a signal
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. game — a match
  10. game — wild animals
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. current — happening now
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. press — a publisher
  16. stock — goods
  17. cue — for pool
  18. current — of water
  19. press — newspapers
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. cue — a hint
  22. current — electric
  23. stock — shares
  24. ball — a round shape

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