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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. content — happy
  7. mine — for digging
  8. stock — goods
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. snap — to click
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. content — the amount
  20. game — wild animals
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. game — a match
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. jam — in traffic

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