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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. last — to go on
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. last — final
  7. date — the fruit
  8. last — finally
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. stock — goods
  14. tube — a container
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. sharp — clever
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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