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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bulb — for light
  9. ground — crushed
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. stock — goods
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. season — in sport
  15. chair — a leader
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. ground — the earth
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. season — of the year
  21. stock — shares
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. snap — to click
  24. ground — a position

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