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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. sharp — clever
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. spell — a short time
  5. stock — goods
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. spell — letters
  10. mug — to rob
  11. net — after costs
  12. spell — magic
  13. chair — a leader
  14. season — of the year
  15. stock — shares
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mug — a face
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. season — in sport
  21. mug — a cup
  22. net — in sport
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. net — for catching

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