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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. game — a match
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — shares
  6. bass — low music
  7. can — a tin
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bass — the fish
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. kick — in football
  19. game — wild animals
  20. can — a tin
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. can — to be able to

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