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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. clip — for paper
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. clip — to cut
  5. last — to go on
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. last — final
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. can — a tin
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. can — to be able to
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. net — for catching
  15. hand — help
  16. can — a tin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stock — shares
  21. clip — a video
  22. hand — in cards
  23. last — finally
  24. stock — goods

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