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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wound — an injury
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. kick — in football
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. stock — goods
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bulb — for light
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bulb — for light
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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