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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. ground — crushed
  6. stock — shares
  7. rest — a break
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. suit — to fit
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bark — to shout
  13. suit — clothes
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. ground — a position
  16. saw — the tool
  17. suit — in cards
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. stock — goods
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wave — with your hand

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