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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. key — in music
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to click
  5. land — to come down
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. stock — goods
  10. roll — a list
  11. key — for a lock
  12. stock — shares
  13. roll — a cake
  14. pit — a hole
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. land — ground
  17. pit — in a race
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — a measure
  20. kid — child
  21. key — the most important part
  22. kid — to tease
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. land — a country

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