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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. lean — to bend
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. stock — shares
  5. file — a tool
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. net — for catching
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. stock — goods
  16. fall — to drop
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a line of people
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fall — the season
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  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