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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. key — for a lock
  4. stock — shares
  5. season — of the year
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. spell — a short time
  9. press — to push
  10. net — for catching
  11. press — a publisher
  12. season — in sport
  13. net — in sport
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. net — after costs
  17. press — newspapers
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. key — the most important part
  20. land — to come down
  21. key — in music
  22. spell — letters
  23. stock — goods
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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