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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. game — a match
  3. stock — shares
  4. cap — of ice
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. foot — a measure
  8. pop — to visit
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — to sink
  11. cap — a hat
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pop — music
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. stock — goods
  20. pop — soda
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. cap — a lid
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. wind — moving air

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