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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 120 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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. march — music
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. march — the month
  5. foot — a measure
  6. rash — a series
  7. staff — employees
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. shower — to wash
  12. snap — to click
  13. staff — a stick
  14. lean — thin
  15. staff — employees
  16. rash — hasty
  17. stock — goods
  18. march — the month
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. lean — to bend
  23. shower — rain
  24. stock — shares

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