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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. stock — shares
  3. spring — of water
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stock — goods
  6. degree — from a university
  7. spring — the season
  8. charge — electricity
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. cue — for pool
  11. degree — an amount
  12. charge — a price
  13. chair — a leader
  14. charge — in control
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — magic
  17. spring — a coil
  18. cue — a hint
  19. wound — an injury
  20. degree — temperature
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. cue — a signal

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