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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. shower — rain
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. stock — shares
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. stock — goods
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. row — to paddle
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. ball — a great time
  23. row — a line
  24. ball — a dance

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