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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. fine — high quality
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. spell — a short time
  5. mark — a trace
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. season — of the year
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. season — in sport
  14. spell — letters
  15. fine — all right
  16. stock — shares
  17. clip — for paper
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. clip — a video
  20. saw — the tool
  21. clip — to cut
  22. spell — magic
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mark — a grade

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