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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. stock — shares
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. land — ground
  5. ground — the earth
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. land — a country
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stock — goods
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. present — the time now
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. foot — a measure
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. land — to come down
  22. ground — a position
  23. present — a gift
  24. ground — crushed

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