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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bear — the animal
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. stock — shares
  6. ground — a position
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — high quality
  10. foot — a measure
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — an illness
  16. ground — crushed
  17. stock — goods
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. cold — not warm
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. fine — all right
  23. foot — the bottom
  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