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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 120 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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. stock — goods
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — high quality
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. fall — to drop
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. foot — a measure
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stock — shares
  16. fall — to drop
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fall — the season
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. wound — an injury
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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