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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. stock — shares
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. lie — to recline
  8. squash — the sport
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — happy
  17. content — the amount
  18. current — electric
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stock — goods
  21. squash — to crush
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. current — of water
  24. current — happening now

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