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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. mark — a grade
  3. stock — shares
  4. spring — a coil
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. game — wild animals
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. game — a match
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. prune — to trim
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. mark — a trace
  18. toast — bread
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. stock — goods
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. foot — a measure

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