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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stock — shares
  6. spell — letters
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. wind — moving air
  11. lie — to recline
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. club — a group
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. chair — a leader

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