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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. cue — a signal
  3. stock — shares
  4. hand — in cards
  5. cue — a hint
  6. hand — help
  7. foot — a measure
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stock — goods
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cue — for pool
  21. tear — from crying
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. foot — the bottom

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