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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. saw — the tool
  4. chest — of your body
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. stock — shares
  7. foot — a measure
  8. stock — goods
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. drill — army training
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. drill — the tool
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. chest — of your body
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — a weight
  23. chest — a box
  24. drill — a practice

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