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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. roll — a cake
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. ground — crushed
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a friend
  8. kick — in football
  9. stock — goods
  10. cold — an illness
  11. can — to be able to
  12. ground — the earth
  13. cold — not warm
  14. foot — a measure
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. can — a tin
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stock — shares
  22. ground — a position
  23. can — a tin
  24. roll — a list

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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