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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. file — a tool
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. kid — child
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. content — the amount
  8. staff — a stick
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stock — shares
  13. file — a document
  14. kid — to tease
  15. content — happy
  16. staff — employees
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stock — goods
  19. staff — employees
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. file — a line of people
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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