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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. spell — letters
  3. charge — in control
  4. shower — rain
  5. clip — for paper
  6. spell — magic
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stock — shares
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. clip — to cut
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. stock — goods
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. fall — the season
  20. clip — a video
  21. charge — a price
  22. spell — a short time
  23. charge — electricity
  24. arm — part of the body

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