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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — shares
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. present — a gift
  10. land — ground
  11. stock — goods
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. land — to come down
  15. saw — the tool
  16. present — there
  17. present — the time now
  18. saw — the tool
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. land — a country
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. can — a tin
  24. shower — to wash

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