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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. stock — goods
  3. club — for golf
  4. sharp — clever
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. foot — a measure
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. file — a document
  14. club — a group
  15. mark — a trace
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. file — a tool
  18. stock — shares
  19. club — for dancing
  20. file — a line of people
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. mark — a grade
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. sharp — with an edge

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