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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. capital — a city
  7. stock — shares
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. plane — a tool
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. stock — goods
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. game — a match
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. capital — money
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bowl — a dish

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