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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. last — finally
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. last — to go on
  5. present — there
  6. net — in sport
  7. last — final
  8. stock — goods
  9. present — the time now
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. net — after costs
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stand — to bear
  16. foot — a measure
  17. present — a gift
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — shares
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. net — for catching

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