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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. fine — all right
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. stock — goods
  5. mate — to breed
  6. foot — a measure
  7. spring — the season
  8. mate — a partner
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. spring — a coil
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. last — finally
  15. fine — high quality
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. spring — of water
  18. stock — shares
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. mate — a friend
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — final
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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