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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. net — for catching
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. net — in sport
  7. stock — shares
  8. hand — in cards
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. last — to go on
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. net — after costs
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. last — finally
  20. degree — from a university
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. foot — a measure
  23. last — final
  24. stock — goods

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