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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. cap — a lid
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. mine — for digging
  12. cap — a hat
  13. object — to protest
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stock — shares
  17. object — an aim
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cap — of ice
  22. object — a thing
  23. dip — to sink
  24. mine — belonging to me

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