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

Word bank: last · jam · pit · stock · wind · perch · foot · face

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. stock — shares
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. wind — moving air
  6. face — part of the head
  7. last — final
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. last — finally
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pit — a hole
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. last — to go on
  14. foot — a measure
  15. wind — moving air
  16. face — to point toward
  17. stock — goods
  18. pit — in a race
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. face — to confront
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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