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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 120 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's very handy with a ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. content — happy
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. track — to keep track
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. content — the amount
  8. stock — shares
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. lie — to recline
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. track — a song
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. track — a path

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