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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. stock — goods
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. spell — a short time
  5. ground — the earth
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ground — a position
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. foot — a measure
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. spell — letters
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. perch — the fish
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. spell — magic

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