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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. last — finally
  4. cold — an illness
  5. mark — a grade
  6. last — to go on
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. last — final
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. mark — a trace
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. stock — goods
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. deal — to handle
  21. foot — a measure
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — an aim
  24. foot — the bottom

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