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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bank — for money
  8. stock — goods
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mark — a grade
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. stock — shares
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bank — of a river
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. bank — for money
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. row — a line
  22. foot — a measure
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wound — an injury

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