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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. chest — of your body
  5. staff — a stick
  6. race — a contest
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. stock — shares
  11. kick — in football
  12. chest — a box
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. stock — goods
  16. fine — all right
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. staff — employees
  19. fine — high quality
  20. staff — employees
  21. bear — the animal
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fine — a penalty

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