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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  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. pound — to hit hard
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — the most important part
  8. mate — a friend
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. spell — magic
  13. key — in music
  14. stock — shares
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wax — to grow
  18. stock — goods
  19. foot — a measure
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. spell — letters
  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