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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. stock — goods
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. season — of the year
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. face — to point toward
  8. pop — music
  9. season — in sport
  10. rash — a series
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. face — part of the head
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. rash — hasty
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pop — soda
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pop — to visit
  21. face — to confront
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — a soup base

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