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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. stock — shares
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. foot — a measure
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. cold — not warm
  13. vault — a safe
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — goods
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. staff — a stick

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