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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. stock — goods
  3. date — the fruit
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. season — of the year
  7. last — final
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. last — finally
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. stock — shares
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pop — to visit
  18. season — in sport
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. last — to go on
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. arm — part of the body

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