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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. charge — in control
  5. wake — a trail
  6. band — a music group
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bass — low music
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. pit — a hole
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bass — the fish
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — electricity
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. band — a ring

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