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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. last — to go on
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. key — the most important part
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. last — final
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. key — for a lock
  12. dip — to sink
  13. foot — a measure
  14. key — in music
  15. mark — a grade
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — shares
  18. last — finally

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