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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. charge — a price
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. chest — a box
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. fine — all right
  11. saw — the tool
  12. charge — electricity
  13. stock — shares
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stock — goods
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. charge — in control
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. foot — a measure
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bat — the animal

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