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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: stock · toast · ball · chest · tear · board · cap · leaves

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. leaves — to go away
  3. stock — shares
  4. board — to get on
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. tear — to rip
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. board — a committee
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. ball — a great time
  13. tear — from crying
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. tear — from crying
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. ball — a dance
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. cap — a lid
  20. toast — bread
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. chest — of your body
  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