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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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 — a soup base
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — army training
  6. stock — goods
  7. chest — a box
  8. ground — a position
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. stock — shares
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bulb — for light
  13. drill — the tool
  14. chest — of your body
  15. ground — crushed
  16. spell — magic
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. spell — letters
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. spell — a short time
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. chest — of your body
  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