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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. cell — a phone
  5. capital — money
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. rash — a series
  11. cell — in biology
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. capital — a city
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — a weight
  21. stock — shares
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. stock — goods

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