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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. court — for sport
  9. stock — goods
  10. chip — for betting
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. court — of a king
  13. bore — to tire
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. season — in sport
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — to push
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bore — to drill
  22. chip — to eat
  23. court — of law
  24. press — a publisher

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