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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. spell — magic
  3. season — of the year
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. cold — an illness
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. kick — in football
  9. spell — letters
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. spell — a short time
  14. lie — to recline
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stock — shares
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. dip — to sink
  21. cold — not warm
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — a big deal

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