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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. mark — a grade
  3. foot — a measure
  4. mark — a trace
  5. object — to protest
  6. cell — a phone
  7. object — an aim
  8. stock — shares
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. mine — for digging
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. object — a thing
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. stock — goods
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — the Cold War

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