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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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fine — all right
  4. mark — a trace
  5. branch — a division
  6. ground — a position
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. shower — rain
  9. fine — high quality
  10. swing — music
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. ground — the earth
  15. mark — a grade
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. swing — in golf
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — shares
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. shower — to wash
  23. swing — to play on
  24. branch — of a bank

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