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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. spell — magic
  4. bore — to tire
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. spell — letters
  8. stock — goods
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bore — to drill
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. court — of a king
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. court — of law
  18. spell — a short time
  19. prune — to trim
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. court — for sport

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