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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. capital — money
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. fall — the season
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. saw — the tool
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. fall — to drop
  12. kick — in football
  13. track — a song
  14. stock — shares
  15. saw — the tool
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. track — to keep track
  18. capital — a city
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. track — a path
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fall — to drop

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