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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  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. stock — shares
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. net — in sport
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wax — to grow
  17. net — for catching
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. net — after costs
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. jam — in traffic
  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