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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. bound — obliged
  3. stock — goods
  4. mine — for digging
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. foot — a measure
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — a country
  11. bound — tied together
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — shares
  15. wound — an injury
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. land — ground
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bound — certain
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. wound — an injury

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