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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  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. season — in sport
  2. foot — a measure
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. ground — the earth
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. ground — crushed
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — to push
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stock — shares
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. date — the fruit
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. press — a publisher
  17. season — of the year
  18. ground — a position
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. toast — bread
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. date — on the calendar
  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