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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. stock — shares
  5. fall — to drop
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. plane — a tool
  9. chair — a leader
  10. fall — to drop
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. squash — the sport
  13. can — to be able to
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. stock — goods
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fall — the season
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. cabinet — ministers

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