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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. stock — goods
  4. ball — a dance
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. spell — magic
  7. bat — the animal
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. mate — a partner
  17. stock — shares
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a ring
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bat — for baseball
  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