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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 124 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. rest — what's left
  3. present — there
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. content — the amount
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a friend
  11. present — the time now
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. rest — a break
  14. bat — the animal
  15. mate — a partner
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. stock — shares
  19. present — a gift
  20. stock — goods
  21. rest — what's left
  22. content — happy
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. staff — employees

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