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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. spell — magic
  3. field — farmland
  4. bound — certain
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. row — a line
  7. bound — tied together
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. field — for sport
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. row — to paddle
  18. field — a subject
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. spell — letters
  21. stock — shares
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. spell — a short time

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