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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pitch — completely
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. stand — to bear
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stock — goods
  9. wind — moving air
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. stock — shares
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. dip — to sink

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