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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. game — wild animals
  4. present — a gift
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mark — a grade
  8. stock — shares
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. present — the time now
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. toast — bread
  14. present — there
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. mark — a trace
  18. shower — rain
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stock — goods
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. game — a match
  24. stock — a soup base

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