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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bank — for money
  3. spell — a short time
  4. stock — goods
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bank — of a river
  8. stock — shares
  9. bank — for money
  10. present — the time now
  11. last — to go on
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — magic
  14. last — final
  15. present — a gift
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. cold — not warm
  18. present — there
  19. cold — an illness
  20. last — finally
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — music
  24. toast — bread

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