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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. chest — of your body
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mate — to breed
  6. last — to go on
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. last — final
  9. chest — a box
  10. mate — a friend
  11. craft — boats
  12. chest — of your body
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. stock — goods
  15. mate — a partner
  16. last — finally
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. craft — a skill
  21. stock — shares
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bark — to shout
  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