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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. last — finally
  3. prune — to trim
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. fall — the season
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. stock — goods
  8. last — to go on
  9. ball — a dance
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. club — for golf
  12. fall — to drop
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. club — a group
  17. vault — a safe
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. ball — a great time
  20. last — final
  21. club — for dancing
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stock — shares

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