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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. game — wild animals
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. game — a match
  5. ball — a dance
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. roll — a list
  9. stock — goods
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. foot — a measure
  15. rule — government
  16. stock — shares
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. rule — a law
  19. ball — a great time
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. roll — a cake
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. chest — of your body
  24. jam — a tight spot

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