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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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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 · board · pit · charge · kid · drill · chest · root

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. stock — shares
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. drill — a practice
  6. pit — in a race
  7. kid — child
  8. board — a committee
  9. charge — in control
  10. pit — a hole
  11. root — of a word
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. charge — electricity
  14. stock — goods
  15. drill — the tool
  16. root — of a plant
  17. chest — a box
  18. root — the cause
  19. board — to get on
  20. chest — of your body
  21. kid — to tease
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. charge — a price

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