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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. present — there
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stock — shares
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cap — a lid
  10. spell — a short time
  11. cap — of ice
  12. fine — all right
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. club — a group
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — letters
  17. club — for golf
  18. fine — high quality
  19. row — to paddle
  20. club — for dancing
  21. row — a line
  22. cap — a hat
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. present — the time now

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