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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. season — in sport
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. object — a thing
  6. season — of the year
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pit — a hole
  9. stock — shares
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. object — to protest
  14. degree — from a university
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. degree — an amount
  17. object — an aim
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. pit — in a race
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. stock — goods
  22. degree — temperature
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. temple — a place of worship

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