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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. ground — crushed
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. prune — to trim
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wake — a trail
  11. stock — goods
  12. roll — a list
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. foot — a measure
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. ground — the earth
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. roll — a cake
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. vault — a safe
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. prune — to trim
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. ground — a position

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