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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mate — a friend
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. mate — to breed
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. lie — to recline
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mate — a partner
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chair — a leader
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. season — of the year
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. season — in sport
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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