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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. scale — size or range
  4. stock — shares
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. clip — for paper
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. clip — a video
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bank — for money
  11. stock — goods
  12. clip — to cut
  13. charge — electricity
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. charge — a price
  16. bank — for money
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bank — of a river
  22. scale — in music
  23. charge — in control
  24. cap — of ice

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