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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. cap — a lid
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. scale — in music
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. scale — size or range
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. cap — of ice
  15. row — to paddle
  16. stock — shares
  17. pit — a hole
  18. row — a line
  19. cold — not warm
  20. pit — in a race
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cold — an illness
  24. foot — a measure

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