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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. land — a country
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. rash — a series
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rash — hasty
  12. stock — goods
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — a measure
  24. stock — shares

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