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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. toast — bread
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. foot — a measure
  11. row — a line
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. scale — in music
  14. band — a music group
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bank — of a river
  17. scale — size or range
  18. band — a ring
  19. stock — shares
  20. row — to paddle
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. stock — goods
  23. dip — to sink
  24. toast — the most admired

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