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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. wound — an injury
  3. vault — a safe
  4. kid — to tease
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. kid — child
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. stock — goods
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. squash — to crush
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. lie — to recline
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. stock — shares
  23. squash — the sport
  24. stem — a stem cell

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