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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  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. stock — shares
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bat — the animal
  4. root — of a plant
  5. track — to keep track
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — to breed
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. root — the cause
  13. track — a song
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. track — a path
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. root — of a word
  22. mate — a partner
  23. foot — part of the body
  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