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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — a cup
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. toast — bread
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. foot — a measure
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — a weight
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. wound — an injury
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. fork — in a road
  22. stock — shares
  23. mug — to rob
  24. pound — to hit hard

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