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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. pit — in a race
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. clip — a video
  9. drill — a practice
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stock — shares
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. clip — to cut
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. clip — for paper
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pit — a hole
  23. stock — goods
  24. nail — for a hammer

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