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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. stock — goods
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. season — of the year
  8. stock — shares
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. season — in sport
  11. fork — in a road
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pound — a weight
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. kick — in football

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