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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mug — to rob
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. hand — help
  5. mug — a cup
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — a measure
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. root — of a word
  11. mug — a face
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — hurry
  14. hand — in cards
  15. stock — shares
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a plant
  20. row — a line
  21. row — to paddle
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. stock — goods

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