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

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. court — of law
  3. cap — a hat
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. present — the time now
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bark — to shout
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bat — the animal
  10. court — for sport
  11. stock — shares
  12. court — of a king
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. cap — a lid
  18. present — a gift
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. stock — goods
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bat — for baseball

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