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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. net — in sport
  4. charge — in control
  5. stock — goods
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. net — after costs
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — a price
  10. net — for catching
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. degree — from a university
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. degree — an amount
  15. stock — shares
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. degree — temperature

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