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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: squash · bowl · pit · stock · fall · last · mine · foot

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. foot — a measure
  7. stock — goods
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stock — shares
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. squash — to crush
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. last — to go on
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — in a race
  22. mine — for digging
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bowl — to roll

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