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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. file — a document
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rest — a break
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rest — what's left
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. file — a line of people
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. file — a tool
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. stock — goods
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. stand — on your feet

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