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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. race — humankind
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. spell — magic
  11. foot — a measure
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. stock — goods
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. spell — a short time
  19. race — a contest
  20. stock — shares
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. spell — letters
  24. race — the arms race

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