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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — goods
  3. cap — a hat
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. fine — all right
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. fine — high quality
  8. pitch — completely
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. cap — a lid
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. dip — to sink
  13. chest — of your body
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. chest — a box
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. stock — shares
  18. foot — a measure
  19. chest — of your body
  20. plane — a tool
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. cap — of ice
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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