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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: hand · chest · stock · temple · stick · pound · sharp · club

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. chest — a box
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. chest — of your body
  5. hand — help
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. hand — in cards
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — for golf
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. club — a group
  17. stock — shares
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — goods
  24. pound — a weight

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