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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 116 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. fine — high quality
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. stock — goods
  5. cell — in biology
  6. spell — letters
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. spell — a short time
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — clothes
  14. fine — all right
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stock — shares
  17. cell — a phone
  18. suit — in cards
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. spell — magic
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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