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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 120 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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — a measure
  5. ground — the earth
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fall — to drop
  10. spell — a short time
  11. ground — a position
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. ground — crushed
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stock — shares
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. craft — boats
  19. pitch — completely
  20. fall — the season
  21. stock — goods
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. craft — a skill
  24. spell — letters

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