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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. dip — to sink
  3. spell — a short time
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — government
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. court — of a king
  19. stock — shares
  20. court — for sport
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. court — of law
  24. wind — moving air

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