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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stock — goods
  3. toast — bread
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. lean — thin
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. foot — a measure
  11. lean — to bend
  12. stock — shares
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. cell — a phone
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. cell — in biology

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