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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: lie · stock · chest · mine · march · pitch · craft · kick

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. march — the month
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. craft — boats
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. craft — a skill
  8. lie — to recline
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. march — music
  16. pitch — completely
  17. mine — for digging
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. march — the month

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