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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. hand — help
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. roll — a list
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. face — to point toward
  14. stock — shares
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bat — the animal
  17. roll — a cake
  18. net — in sport
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. face — to confront
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. face — part of the head
  24. arm — part of the body

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