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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. mine — for digging
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rash — a series
  11. foot — a measure
  12. stock — shares
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. rash — hasty
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. kid — to tease
  18. stock — goods
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. kid — child
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. rash — on the skin

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