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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. stock — shares
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. sharp — clever
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bulb — for light
  10. tear — from crying
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bulb — for light
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. tear — to rip
  24. stock — a soup base

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