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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rash — a series
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stock — shares
  11. cue — a signal
  12. perch — the fish
  13. cell — a phone
  14. rash — hasty
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. cue — a hint
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cue — for pool
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. stock — goods
  24. perch — for a bird

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