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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. ground — crushed
  4. foot — a measure
  5. pitch — completely
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. ground — the earth
  9. stock — goods
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. squash — to crush
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. stock — shares
  16. ground — a position
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. squash — the sport

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