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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. stock — goods
  3. prune — to trim
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to click
  6. board — a committee
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. scale — size or range
  9. board — to get on
  10. current — of water
  11. drill — army training
  12. current — electric
  13. scale — in music
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. stock — shares
  20. prune — to trim
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. stock — a soup base
  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