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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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 — to add flavour
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bound — obliged
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bound — tied together
  9. season — of the year
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bound — certain
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. squash — to crush
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stock — goods
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. season — in sport
  24. squash — the sport

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