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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. spell — letters
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in biology
  9. wax — to grow
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. spell — magic
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. stock — shares
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. suit — clothes
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. suit — to fit
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. suit — in cards
  23. spell — a short time
  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