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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bulb — for light
  8. pitch — completely
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bulb — for light
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. foot — a measure
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. stock — goods
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stock — shares

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