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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. stock — goods
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. season — in sport
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stock — shares
  16. scale — size or range
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. chip — for betting
  19. net — after costs
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. net — for catching
  23. season — of the year
  24. chip — to eat

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