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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. pop — music
  8. stock — goods
  9. lean — thin
  10. spell — a short time
  11. lean — to bend
  12. stock — shares
  13. spell — letters
  14. date — the fruit
  15. foot — a measure
  16. chest — a box
  17. spell — magic
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pop — to visit
  24. date — on the calendar

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