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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. stock — goods
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pit — in a race
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. wake — a trail
  22. stock — shares
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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