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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. stock — goods
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pit — a hole
  5. foot — a measure
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. file — a document
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. spring — a coil
  12. stock — shares
  13. suit — clothes
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. suit — in cards
  16. suit — to fit
  17. spring — of water
  18. chair — a leader
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. file — a tool
  21. spring — the season
  22. pit — in a race
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bear — the animal

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