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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. fork — in a road
  4. foot — a measure
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. stock — shares
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. net — for catching
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. net — in sport
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. net — after costs
  21. mark — a grade
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. stock — goods
  24. mark — a trace

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