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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. stock — shares
  4. face — to confront
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. degree — from a university
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. cue — a signal
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. degree — temperature
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stock — goods
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pitch — completely
  18. degree — an amount
  19. cue — for pool
  20. face — to point toward
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cue — a hint
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. face — part of the head

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