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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. date — the fruit
  9. stock — shares
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. foot — a measure
  12. wax — to grow
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pitch — completely
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. stock — goods

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