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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. toast — bread
  7. plane — a tool
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. stock — goods
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. band — a ring
  20. foot — a measure
  21. sharp — clever
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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