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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. key — for a lock
  4. spell — letters
  5. rest — what's left
  6. date — the fruit
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. spell — a short time
  9. stock — goods
  10. key — the most important part
  11. stock — shares
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. capital — money
  14. rest — what's left
  15. capital — a city
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. spell — magic
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rest — a break
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. key — in music
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pass — to succeed

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