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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 124 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wind — moving air
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stock — goods
  6. mark — a grade
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — a phone
  16. rest — a break
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stock — shares
  19. cell — in biology
  20. mark — a trace
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. wave — of the sea

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