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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 116 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — a short time
  3. clip — to cut
  4. stock — shares
  5. suit — to fit
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. land — a country
  8. clip — a video
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. land — ground
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. spell — letters
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. clip — for paper
  15. stock — goods
  16. suit — in cards
  17. land — to come down
  18. suit — clothes

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