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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  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. lean — to bend
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. chest — of your body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. row — a line
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. fall — the season
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stock — shares
  22. lean — thin
  23. row — a quarrel
  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