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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. field — for sport
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cue — for pool
  8. kick — in football
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. stock — goods
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wax — to grow
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — part of the body

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