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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. court — for sport
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. stock — goods
  7. net — in sport
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — in a road
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. pound — a weight
  14. net — after costs
  15. stock — shares
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. court — of law
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. net — for catching
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. court — of a king
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. pound — for dogs

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