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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bass — low music
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. hand — in cards
  8. toast — bread
  9. shower — rain
  10. mate — a friend
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. stock — shares
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mate — a partner
  15. sharp — clever
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mate — to breed
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bass — the fish
  23. hand — help
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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