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

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. stock — goods
  4. fine — all right
  5. stock — shares
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fine — high quality
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. press — newspapers
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. spell — a short time
  14. press — to push
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. press — a publisher
  17. spell — magic
  18. pitcher — in baseball

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