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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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. lash — an eyelash
  3. bat — the animal
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stock — goods
  9. tube — a container
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stock — shares
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. cell — a phone
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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