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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stock — shares
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. chest — a box
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rest — a break
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rest — what's left
  17. chest — of your body
  18. tube — a container
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — completely
  22. stock — goods
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. tube — the underground

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