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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. ground — the earth
  4. key — in music
  5. stock — shares
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. key — for a lock
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. ground — a position
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. key — the most important part
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — goods
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. ground — crushed
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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