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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. stock — shares
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rock — a stone
  7. mark — a grade
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. rock — music
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. spring — a coil
  21. stock — goods
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mark — a trace

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