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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. spell — magic
  4. stock — goods
  5. tube — the underground
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bat — the animal
  12. tube — a container
  13. shower — to wash
  14. press — newspapers
  15. shower — rain
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — to push
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rock — music
  22. rash — a series
  23. stock — shares
  24. tube — in a tire

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