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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. row — to paddle
  3. band — a ring
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. stock — shares
  8. rash — a series
  9. chip — for betting
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. band — a music group
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. last — finally
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. last — final
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. row — a line
  22. last — to go on
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — goods

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