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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. spell — magic
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. fine — high quality
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. spell — a short time
  7. lean — thin
  8. stock — goods
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. capital — money
  12. rock — music
  13. lean — to bend
  14. capital — a city
  15. spell — letters
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. rock — a stone
  24. stock — shares

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