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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. foot — a measure
  4. mark — a trace
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. clip — to cut
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. clip — a video
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — army training
  12. stock — goods
  13. drill — the tool
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. clip — for paper
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — for dancing
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. club — a group
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. mark — a grade
  24. stock — a soup base

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