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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. scale — in music
  4. stock — goods
  5. court — of law
  6. perch — the fish
  7. scale — size or range
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. court — of a king
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stock — shares
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. court — for sport
  24. wind — moving air

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