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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · toast · clip · craft · wind · arm · stock · temple

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. stock — shares
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — goods
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. craft — a skill
  13. clip — to cut
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. clip — a video
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. craft — boats
  22. clip — for paper
  23. wind — moving air
  24. toast — bread

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