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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. last — to go on
  5. stock — goods
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. last — finally
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stand — to bear
  13. last — final
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. stock — shares

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