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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. chest — a box
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. land — to come down
  8. stock — shares
  9. net — for catching
  10. bank — of a river
  11. land — a country
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. stock — goods
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. squash — the sport
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ball — a great time
  22. net — after costs
  23. land — ground
  24. ball — a dance

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