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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fine — all right
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — rain
  15. stock — shares
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. foot — a measure
  22. track — to keep track
  23. wax — to grow
  24. stock — goods

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