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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. stock — goods
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. stock — shares
  5. field — farmland
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. rest — a break
  8. sharp — clever
  9. field — a subject
  10. track — a path
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rest — what's left
  15. field — for sport
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. track — a song
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. dip — to sink
  21. track — to keep track
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. rest — what's left

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