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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. rock — music
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. land — a country
  6. foot — a measure
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. land — to come down
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. fork — in a road
  12. stock — shares
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rock — a stone
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. land — ground
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. stock — goods
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. snap — to click
  24. foot — the bottom

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