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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. rash — a series
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. fork — in a road
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bulb — for light
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. stock — goods
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. rash — hasty
  13. kick — in football
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. shower — rain
  16. stock — shares
  17. bulb — for light
  18. shower — to wash
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. foot — a measure

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