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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 120 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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mine — for digging
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mark — a grade
  9. staff — a stick
  10. chest — a box
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. staff — employees
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. chest — of your body
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stock — shares
  17. mark — a trace
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. staff — employees
  21. stock — goods
  22. plane — a tool
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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