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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. key — in music
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — magic
  5. key — for a lock
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stock — shares
  8. root — of a word
  9. key — the most important part
  10. root — the cause
  11. game — a match
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. root — of a plant
  14. charge — electricity
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. stock — goods
  19. charge — in control
  20. game — wild animals
  21. charge — a price
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. stock — a soup base

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