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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. stock — goods
  3. toast — bread
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. row — to paddle
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. spring — a coil
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. dip — to sink
  13. fine — high quality
  14. stand — to bear
  15. plane — a tool
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. row — a line
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. stock — shares
  22. fine — all right
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. plane — an aircraft

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